Curse of the Goblin King
by OtakuSailorV
Summary: AU She went to slay the beast within the fortress, to destroy the evil menace. Her plan goes aray and she is taken prisioner, for unbeknownst to her, she is the only one who can break his curse. ErutisKrayon .::COMPLETE::.
1. Default Chapter

_**Curse of the Goblin King**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_". . .I move the stars for no one. . ." _

She was such a normal girl, such a regular, set-in-her-place girl. There was nothing new or exotic about her. She was not strikingly beautiful; she possessed nothing that could have been called beauty. Or so I thought at the time.

She, she of all creatures had been chosen to set me free. Why was such a homely girl to release me from my curse? I would have much rather suffered under this curse for a thousand years if this woman was the one that was to free me. . .yet, a curse is not a pleasant thing, and I had longed for freedom from it for many a century. It was too good an opportunity to waste. Who knew when I might next find someone capable of breaking my curse? From my experience with such things – placing and receiving them myself – I knew that it was almost impossible for such a chance to ever present it self again.

And it wasn't like I would have had to go out of my way to catch this darling little girl either. The fool was wandering in my territory, and I had the notion of playing with her mind a little before I actually took her from the forest path. It had been many years since anyone had been brave enough to step foot into the forest, even if she was my only way out of this dratted curse, why not have a little fun while I was at it, hm? What harm could it do to scare her a little bit?

So I set about the task immediately, smiling to myself. Not only would I have a visitor in my castle, but also I would have my curse lifted in no time. This was all quite promising. Now, what to do to scare her?

Should I remove the forest path from her feet and get her hopelessly lost in the tangled brush? Should I conjure up the sounds of the night around her so that her heart beat faster and her blood raced through her veins? Everything sounded like so much fun, maybe I would try them both. Being lost and the sound of someone unknown following was always something that scared humans, especially weak human females like her.

I was quite pleased with myself and immediately set about the task.

Placing the tips of my fingers over the glass ball in which I watched her in, I slid them around in a circular motion before pulling all of the tips together and dragging them upward. Immediately, my other hand waved to the right and flashed back to my side as swiftly as it had come to glide over the ball.

A mist hung in her eyes, and I saw her check herself, seemingly confused by the sudden, and rather dense, fog. She narrowed her eyes and looked from side to side, but seemed to figure that she knew which way was the way she had been going and started off again.

The long dress swirled around her feet, pulling the mist in around her ankles and chilling them eerily. I could tell this unnerved her, but she was gritting her teeth in determination. I clicked my tongue at her, shaking my head. "Now that will not do, you aren't allowed to take the right path you silly girl."

I smirked as I waved my hand over the ball again and the path twisted away from her immediately. She would soon be lost deep in the forest, though still heading for my castle. All she need think was that she was lost for my game to work. She needn't actually get lost in the forest.

After a few moments, I let the noises of a pursuer ring in the bushes and tress around her. She immediately checked herself again as I allowed the fog to lift, revealing to her that she was set deep in the forest, with no clear view of a road, or of my castle for that matter.

She stood rather still, I could tell that her fists were clenched, and in her eyes shone fear, but still there was determination.

I smirked again, what a peculiar girl. Maybe there was actually something to her now that I had a better look. Though I really would have liked for her to be prettier if she were to lift my curse.

I was glee-filled when a sharp sound sent her fleeing toward my castle as fast as her legs would carry her. She obviously thought she was about to be attacked, and I was thrilled that she was playing so easily into my game. I chuckled to myself as I saw her long gown rip on branches, her hair flying out behind her, droplets of cold sweat forming on her brow. The anxiety in her gave new strength to her worn muscles and she was like a deer, her feet barely touching the ground as she fled away from her supposed pursuer.

Unfortunately, such haste always brings mistakes with it, and she eventually tripped over a root that she had not seen and fell to the earth floor.

I decided now was a good time to appear before her and announce who I was. I was certain she'd be surprised, and think I was her pursuer. And, in fact, I was looking forward to the frightened look in her eyes.

* * *

I had used a simply teleport spell, and now stood not but five feet from the gate of my castle, well in view of my soon to be captive. However, she could not see me yet, her eyes were still clouded with the fake mists and fogs I had created in her mind. I chuckled lowly to myself as I strode at a regular pace toward her. I didn't want to appear in too much of a hurry, dramatic effect was everything in moments such as this.

She looked up as I purposefully stepped on a nearby twig to catch her attention. Her eyes stared at me, squinting, and I had to chuckle again. For it is quite amusing to see someone squinting through imaginary mists when the other party cannot even see the mists to begin with.

I stopped not two feet from her, staring pointedly down upon her sprawled form with a small smirk. She glared up at me, not even the slightest bit scared, and if she was, she was hiding it very well. This disappointed me. I had hoped to see her face twist into a look of complete horror. After all, I was the 'Goblin King' that all those stupid villagers said lived in this forest right? She had a right – no, an obligation – to be terrified of me. The pallor of her face should have dispersed, she should have been shaking and mumbling, her eyes wide and distant as she inwardly tried to escape me to no avail. She should be begging for her life.

But another thought instantly struck me as I inwardly made a face at her lack of cooperation. She probably was not even _aware _of who I was, was she? I smirked wider and dropped the mist, light flooding through behind me and shadowing all my features. I was pleased when I saw a slight change in her face, but it was only to cringe from the sudden blast of light.

How disappointing. I had gone to all this trouble to frighten her, and it had barely worked. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Stupid girl.

Well, nothing else to do than to proclaim to her who I was and hope that that alone would make her shake in fear.

I smirked at her again. "Hello." I greeted in a casual yet you-know-I'm-the-villain type of tone.

Her glare deepened. I was again disappointed. I had adopted the tone of my voice so that it might scare her. What was wrong with this child?

Slowly, she got to her feet and stood before me, brushing the dirt from her dress and frowning at the tears, though she didn't seem too distraught at the ruination of it. "Hello." She greeted in an equally casual tone. Though I could catch some I'm-not-interested-in-talking-to-you and Get-lost-weirdo-I'm-not-impressed undertones in the simple phrase.

How dare she!

"May I ask what you are doing out here all by yourself? And so close to the Goblin King's castle too?"

She looked at me through half-lidded eyes, as if trying to tell me that I still was not worth her time.

"I could ask the same of you." She answered almost immediately, still giving me the strange look.

I chuckled good-naturedly at her words, but was burning with fire inside. Damn this girl. If she were not the one to break my curse, I would have broken _her _into pieces by now.

"Why, I happen to live around here." I replied. "And it's many days that I get visitors."

She looked went from exasperation to disbelief and confusion. "In the middle of the Forest of Nightmares?" She asked of me sarcastically.

"Yes." I answered curtly.

"And the Goblin King hasn't killed you yet?"

"No."

"Then you're either extremely smart, or extremely stupid."

She decided this with a dismissive wave of her hand. Hmph, what a childish brat. Damn this curse; damn this girl.

"Care to answer any of my questions?" I prompted when she seemed to lose interest.

Her eyes immediately met mine again, and I was glad that I at least had her attention. "What are you doing in this forest all alone, good Lady?"

"I'm here to slay the Goblin King of course." She replied matter-of-factly.

My mirth at this statement could not be withheld. I chuckled for a long while as she watched me through half-lidded eyes again. "What?" She demanded crisply as my laughter subsided slightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry good Lady, that was quite rude of me. But what you just said was so funny that I could not hold it in."

She crossed her arms over her chest; I had obviously offended her. "Well if you think it's because I don't have a weapon then you're sorely mistaken. I have one, but it is concealed."

I chuckled again, my lips curling into a smirk as I saw that she had provided a perfect cue for me. "No, I do not doubt what you say M'Lady, but I highly doubt you could defeat the Goblin King."

She raised an eyebrow. "How's that?"

I lifted my head to her, my rippling hair falling over my shoulders as I gave her a small smile. "For you see, **_I _**am the Goblin King."

Her eyes widened in shock, and I waited for her cry of recognition, for her terror. But she only looked at me in bewilderment before breaking into large laughs right in front of me. What was the matter with this girl?! Was she crazy in the head?!

"Y-you!" She cried in between bursts of laughter. "_You're _the 'Goblin King?!'"

She continued to laugh hysterically at me. What a fool, she would find soon enough that I was no one to be laughed at. Stupid girl.

"I am." I replied sternly, standing tall and proud.

She stopped and stood back up, her laughter dying as instantly as it had started. "You're really him? You're the Goblin King that rules over this land and destroys all that dare enter his kingdom?"

I smirked. "Now, I haven't killed _everyone _that ever entered my kingdom. Who would be there to tell the stories if I didn't let one or two get away with what was left of their lives?" I asked in a pompously sincere tone.

She gave me a strange look, as if deciding something in her mind. She chewed on the inside of her right cheek and tilted her head to one side, the red-brown hair spilling over onto that shoulder as she watched me steadily.

I felt quite angered by her scrutiny. None of this was going according to my brilliant plan! Stupid, stupid girl! Angrily, I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing all the time that my face had contorted so that I looked like a pouting child rather than an angered Lord of Death.

She finally smirked and reached for something at her side that seemed to be concealed by the dress. "Well, if you're really the Goblin King, then prepare to die!!!!" She proclaimed loudly as she ripped a sword from its sheath right through her dress. It glowed slightly, and I could tell she was a sword-master.

The fabric of her dress gave an ear-splitting sound akin to the noise that one's claws make on a chalkboard as it ripped. The remains of the once beautiful - if not slightly muddied - dress fell from her, revealing a knight's clothing and some armor that had been hidden underneath. I blinked slightly, for this girl's hair was short enough for her to be mistaken for a man instead of a woman. If I were not quite sure that she was female, I would have fallen to the same presumption.

She did not notice my reaction however, for she was smirking with amusement. She seemed to think that my shock came from her power that she had showed and her threat to my life. I laughed inwardly as I took in her image. No, I was not afraid of this woman. She could not hurt me.

I stared at the sword-tip that she had pointed at my chest menacingly. I investigated it with slight disregard, showing her that I was not afraid of her weapon or her. Taking one finger, I pushed the tip away from me slowly and lifted my eyes to her, my mouth slightly open as I regarded her. "Can you not tell me for what you want to take my life?"

She had watched as I had moved the sword from myself, and looked back up at me with a steady glare. "There is a great bounty on your head, and you killed a great many of my young apprentices – though fools – who came to claim it." She growled out at me. "Now I claim your life so that they may rest in peace."

I sighed wearily, looking away from her in my impatience. "Oh dear, another one of those self-righteous people again." I gave another withdrawn sigh, looking her over out of the corner of one eye half-lidded in boredom.

"Do you want to die fast or slowly?"

Both statements seemed to irk her, the effect I had been going for, and she raised her sword angrily before jumping into the air. "That's my line you dolt!!" She cried.

Without another word, she brought her sword down, intending to strike me straight through, though I don't think she was aware that if I dodged she would be wide-open for a lethal attack from me.

I stood, staring up at the blade, letting her presume she had me. Then, when it was within a breath of my face, I dodged to one side congenially. I didn't smirk or smile at my small triumph, for it hadn't been a hard feat to do. Rather, I still watched as if I was bored, knowing that this would draw out more anger than if I was laughing madly at her attempts.

"Woman, what is your name?" I asked casually, my head leaning into one hand, while my other hand rested on my bent arm.

She watched me with an enraged look. "Why should I tell you?!" She demanded, jumping into the air and trying the same attack again.

This time, I didn't let her assume I was going to be hit, but instead dodged almost as soon as she swung her arm downward in an arc toward me.

As she landed, I moved forward toward her and brought one hand up to cup her chin. Tilting it upward, her face came an inch away from mine, and I smirked, knowing that my eyes were dancing with smugness as they peered into her enraged orbs. "Because I wouldn't want to capture you without knowing your name first." I said.

She growled angrily and slashed upward with her sword, only to find that I was gone. Her face was red from embarrassment, anger, and exertion. Chuckling at her, I pulled back before the blade had even a chance to hurt me.

"You bastard!" She cried. "If that's the case then I'll never tell you my name. To be captured by you would be worse than death by your blood-soaked hands!" She pointed her sword definitively at me, her eyes flaring with so much anger I thought fire might shoot from the depths of her eyes.

I chuckled at her again, floating up into the air and leaning back, looking down on her. "Would it be? I guess you'll pray for death then." I replied.

"Goblin King, I'll kill you before you can even blink this time!" Jumping higher than she had before, she came over my head, a dot in the bleary orb that should have been the sun. So, she was hoping to trick my eyes by jumping into the sun's glare and come down on me, eh? I smirked; smart girl, but that would hardly work on me.

I moved backward and onto the ground, waiting for her to come down. And she did indeed fall from the sky, but not with her sword in the arc that I presumed it would be in, but instead at her side, in a slightly bent arm. One leg was also bent and as she hit the ground with the one foot, she bounced off swiftly and darted straight toward me, bringing the sword out in hopes of striking me through the middle.

Ah, a different technique. . .

The sword pierced through me, blood seeped over the blade and onto the ground. These clothes were ruined now, stupid girl. I frowned at her after investigating the newly implanted sword. "You think that works?" I asked, smirking darkly at her before bringing a fist into her stomach at a swift, almost unseen motion.

She gagged, her eyes wide and features drawn against the harsh blow. She crumpled over the hilt of her sword and fell to the ground unconscious. Growling to myself, I pulled her sword from my middle and wiped the bloodstain onto the grass. Looking down at her hunched form, I sighed again and pulled her blade's scabbard from her side. Then, after securing the blade at my own side, I picked her up gently.

I looked her over thoroughly for the first time. She was not a beautiful girl, but she was not ugly either. She was the kind of girl that one would marry out of love for her instead of out of love for her looks. She was skilled as a fighter, as far as humans went, I could tell, and she seemed to be intelligent enough. Not brilliant, but learned in what she needed to know.

Her red-brown bangs were plastered to her forehead with sweat, while the rest of her hair spilled around my left arm. Smirking to myself, I turned back to my castle and without a word, disappeared to the inside.

So, this was the girl who would break my curse. . .

* * *

Ah, finally, I've written this idea out. I do hope that I left Erutis and Krayon both in character, I was worried that they were getting out of character every time I had them speak.**sweatdrop **

I noticed that there aren't very many of these stories out there at all, Eru/Kra fics, I mean. That's strange, since I find the pairing absolutely _kawaii_.

At any rate, this is an AU fic, and I haven't decided on whether I'm going to have Raenef or Eclipse in the story yet or not. Chris will be making an appearance for sure, but I'm not positive on the others yet. Hmm. . .

As for the curse, don't ask since it won't be explained until I see fit. **stern nod **It's so that there is no kind of. . .dramatic irony to the situation. You know – so that both the reader and the character of Erutis are guessing at what is going on att he same time. **smile **

Yes, well, it's time for me to go. Thanks for reading this far, minna-san, I appreciate it.

Ja'ne!

Review please!!


	2. Chapter Two

**_Curse of the Goblin King_**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Two_

As soon as her eyes opened, she was sitting bolt upright, glaring around the room, not taking a bit of notice of anything around her. Her eyes were seeking the Goblin King, and they would only stop once they found him. Ignoring the throbbing, groggy feeling of sleep in the back of her mind, she bolted from underneath the warm covers of the bed she had been lying in and continued her wild search.

If she had been paying any attention to anything else, she would have noticed that the room she was in was quite exquisite. The walls were pale green, and the floor was polished cream colored marble. The floors weren't cold, like one might have thought they would be.

There was one window, to the left of the bed. It was large, like everything else in the room, and there were two long, thin silver-white curtains that looped over and then hung down loosely from either side. Below the window was a little ledge that led out to it which was pale wood where the green paint left off. On either side was a row of fluffy pillows for one to sit and watch things pass by outside. But, even though the window was lovely – there was no light that streamed through it like there should have been. Instead it was gloomy outside, mist blocked out the sun and made it appear as if the castle were stranded in the middle of some dream world.

On the other side of the room was a large wardrobe with several doors and drawers. To the right of this was a small standing table with a mirror over it. The wood that held the mirror and which the wardrobe and table were made of was all light and had intricate little designs cut into them.

The bed was extravagant and large – standing against the farthest wall, exactly in the middle - the sheets had been warm and soft around her, but she had neglected all that when she had jumped up and out of the spacious area. Overtop was placed a canopy made of the same material as the drapes that hung on either side of the window, and was even more unreal and flow-y looking than the drapes. To the left of the bed was a small nightstand with two small drawers and a candle placed on top of the wooden object.

The first thing that Erutis noticed was none of these things though, but the large wooden door with the hard, cold metal knob that protruded out, requesting her warm, tender hand to touch it. Taking to large, sweeping steps forward, Erutis didn't take notice either to the fact that her clothes had been changed and that the mud and dirt that had been on her body had been cleaned away as well. Still – she was in a rush to find out where she was.

Though, as her hand reached for the knob, she suddenly asked herself where her sword was, and how she planned to defend herself. Her hand instinctively shot to her side and grasped her bare hip tightly. A mortified look crossed her face. Her sword was gone.

Swirling around, she cleared the ground between herself and the bed in a single bound and leaped back into it, searching madly for her weapon. After a moment of tearing through the sheets like she was stark raving mad, she jumped from the bed and leapt toward the wardrobe. Throwing open the doors, they banged noisily against the walls and they were flung apart, a strong gust of moldy air sweeping outward from the woody, hollow interior. Erutis moved then to the drawers of wardrobe, and when she found nothing, moved to the standing table next to it, and then to the nightstand.

Still finding nothing, and quite desperate now to find her weapon, Erutis dove toward the underside of the bed and lifted up the skirt to see if her lost sword was hidden underneath.

Feeling as if a mortal wound had been struck to her soul, Erutis sat back on her knees when she still found no hint as to the whereabouts of her sword. Her fists shook in her lap, and hot tears of anger formed at the corners of her eyes. "That. . .bastard. . ." She growled through clenched teeth as she recalled the events from. . .from when?

Her head shot up again. How long had she been here, in this room, sleeping peacefully until this time? What had conspired and why was she not dead? Or was she dead. . . ? Confused, Erutis got to her feet slowly and glanced around herself. Nodding at some idea that had just popped into her mind, she strode back to the door.

Her warm, clammy hand met the rounded, cold, lifeless knob and it swung open. The door pulled inward, and as soon as three was space enough, Erutis' head shot out to peer up and down the hallway.

The hallway seemed to stretch into infinity on either side. Large, circular columns extended down, down, down until she couldn't see them any longer. Blinking at the large columns, she turned around and slowly started to pull the door closed behind her. It gave a definitive 'click' and she promptly turned back about, only to bump right into a warm, soft barrier that had gone unseen before.

Erutis made a noise of protest and jumped back immediately, banging into the door and receiving a door-handle to the side. Growling in pain, her defiant glare turned upward to meet the Goblin King's amused gaze. "You-!" She said, pressing herself flat against the door, seeing as she had no defense against him now.

His smug smirk filled her eyes and she felt like she might explode with the angry pressure building inside of her. "Where's my sword?" She demanded roughly.

"Your sword?" He questioned quirking one slender eyebrow in question. "Did you think I would leave it with you?" He smirked wider as her eyes narrowed. He was mocking her, toying with her.

"You bastard!" Erutis cried out, her brown-red hair flying out as if to put emphasis on her words. "Fight me!" Harshly she raised one clenched, trembling fist.

Both of his eyebrows raised to the top of his elegant brow, his eyes wide and examining with shocked scrutiny, as if he didn't know of what she was speaking. Finally, his lips creased back into a broad grin and he chuckled at her. Erutis slowly lowered her arm, as his laughter grew in intensity, her eyes unsure and confused. Why was he so mirthful about her challenge?

She stood pressed against the door, fearful of him as his laughter boomed down the long hallways and echoed back, making it appear as if he was laughing louder than he actually was. "W-what's so funny?!" Erutis finally yelled, eyes bright and shining.

He stopped and his eyes watched her with a look that she did not like. "It's funny that you think I would leave you alive just to fight you." He chuckled again, mostly to himself. "And is that how you show gratitude, girl?"

Gesturing to her outfit and her cleaned up form. Erutis looked down and for the first time noticed that her attire had been changed and that the mud and grit was gone from her body. She flushed all the way out to the tips of her ears and looked up at him accusingly. "Y-you-! Did you-?!" Her shock and outraged disgust was evident and she pulled at the cloth wrapped around her as if she wanted to cast it away from her like it were diseased and plague-ridden.

"Well, I do not keep _servants _in my castle, as you may have guessed." He said in a sarcastic, though still amused tone. As her face lit up further, bottled up emotions threatening to explode, he though he might die of his own humor at her expense. The girl certainly did get worked up easily.

"You-!! Ugh, I hate you! If I had my sword right now I'd- I'd-" Erutis shook one thin, petite finger at him uselessly, trying to figure out what she would do if she had her sword. For it was quite hard to think about hurting him when he could easily kill her here on the spot, and she had no real weapon to speak of.

He leaned close to her, their noses almost touching as his eyes went half-lidded in a sensuous way. Smirking at her, he asked the question she had set herself up for. "You'll do what, girl?"

Erutis made a face, her teeth clamping together in sudden anxiety. She didn't like how close he was to her. Her widened eyes narrowed and she used her strength to push him away forcefully. "Get the hell away from me!"

He only chuckled again, dancing backward elegantly and missing the fists and open palms that were thrown in his direction with accurate timing. Smirking at her still, he made a flourishing movement toward the far end of the hallway to her right. "Now, if you're quite finished," He began "Please join me in the dining hall in fifteen minutes. It would not be acceptable to be tardy."

And with that, he was gone, right before her very eyes. Blinking, she swiftly looked down the hallway and spotted his tall figure striding through the tall line of pillars and disappeared from sight. Marking the place where he had disappeared, she looked down the other hallway to see if the same illusion might be seen. But there was nothing.

Frustration and anger still filling her, she turned and slammed her fist into the wooden doorway. The boom of wood lined with metal meeting bone lined with skin was deafening as it echoed down the hallway. A sharp pain was sent through Erutis' arm, up to her wrist. Wincing only slightly, she left her hand in the spot for a moment, breathing heavily from the sudden exertion. Bringing the arm back slowly, she saw that her fist had left an imprint on the door, along with something else. Something red and liquid that dripped down the door in one spot and which also seemed to be on her hand.

Realizing that it was blood, she frowned at the broken skin that seeped the red fluid richly. The warmth of her own blood on her hand brought a churning, sick feeling to her stomach briefly as she looked at the wound more and more closely. Turning the thoughts aside, she reminded herself that this was not the first time she had seen such things, and the sight of blood should not make her queasy, but still, the uneasiness that the sight of her own had unnerved her remained.

Looking harshly back down at the row of pillars he had disappeared into, Erutis frowned and put her handle on the doorknob, jerking it harshly, she decided to enter the room again. She didn't care what he said; she was _not_ going to comply with his silly wishes. But she found to her amazement that she was not able to enter. Turning it this way and that, the door was locked inevitably.

Sighing, she stepped back from the door, blood running down her fingers and dripping to the floor to lay in little scattered puddles or droplets, showing a trail of where she had been.

Looking back to her right again, she scowled. Well, she certainly wasn't going _that_ way. Turning to her left then, she headed off straight away, investigating what she saw through the pillars as she walked.

At first, everything was new and interesting looking. Though it appeared different, the objects placed around were foreign to her and several times she had the idea that she might stop and go to touch for investigate closer, but something told her it was not a good idea and she banished the thoughts. But soon, as she went on and on for about five minutes, she noticed that she had seen some of the things before already. The rooms started to replay it seemed, to repeat their decorations and oddly enough, were identical to the ones she had seen before if she remembered correctly.

And she was sure that her eyesight was so horrendous and her mind so shot that she was imagining the whole thing. Stopping, she looked at the room she was peering into quizzically before turning her head to the left to see if the same thing was happening on the other side of the wall as well. She started when she noticed the slight indentations of her fist on the door, and the streaks of blood running down it. Stepping closer, she knew that it was the same door, unless by some magic all the doors had become this way when she had smashed her hand into the other.

Turning back to look down the right of the hallway, she found that she wasn't quite sure if she had gone any farther thanks to the stupid pillars and their way of making optical illusions down the one side. Shaking her head, Erutis turned back to the left and started to walk back ahead again.

Her pace was regular until, awkwardly, she turned her head to the left and saw the same door again fist marked and bloody. Eyes widening, she picked up her pace, eternally turning her head to either side as slowly she gained speed until she was all out flying down the hallway. Looking down instinctively after a bit, she noticed the trail of blood under her feet.

Lifting her hand, she saw that the place where the skin was broken was still bleeding. Erutis came to a jolting stop, jarring herself a bit in the process. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that the trail was only a little ways down the path behind her. As if she been running in place. . .

She sighed, seeing that the stupid castle wasn't going to allow her to go any other way than the way she had been intended to travel in.

She growled to herself, marching in the direction that the Goblin King had taken, and found to her frustration that there were no side effects like there had been when she had gone in the opposite direction. The blood had almost stopped dripping from her hand and now was caking on around her wound. Making a face at it, she almost wiped it on her clothing, but thought better of it and instead decided to wipe it on the Goblin King's cloak when she saw him.

Deep in delighted thought as she imagined the scene in her mind, she almost walked right by the door she was supposed to go into. And when you see the word 'almost,' you should note it, for she did 'almost' miss the door. In fact, she was a little bit more than 'almost' about to miss it. Barely half of her body was visible through the pillars, when, suddenly, her feet came to a grinding halt on their own.

Startled, she was shot her from amused thoughts swiftly, cold shock running through her mind and down her spine, making the little hairs on her body stand on end. Her legs and body turned about, and, frantically, she tried to correct it, but found that it was useless. She could do nothing to stop herself from moving in between the two tall pillars into a room with a strange, raised table.

At one end sat the Goblin King who was watching her with that bemused, smug look as she approached the chair opposite him, dragging her feet as best she could. _'He's doing this!!' _Her mind roared out.

His golden follicles fell about him in a curvy, unreal fashion, and his beautifully narrow eyes watched her every move. Erutis found some part of her fawning slightly at his attentions to her, but the greater part of her was worked up like a caged wild beast, roaring and snarling, wanting to sink teeth and claws into her captor. Her face was red, she knew it, for her cheeks started to warm up, the blush spreading to her ears again.

_'Damn it all.' _She cursed herself grudgingly.

"It is about time you joined me." He said, gesturing toward the empty table before standing to go and greet her properly. Erutis stiffened, the skin underneath her eyes twitching as he approached. Her legs froze in place, still refusing to obey her commands to move.

When he moved to take her by the elbow and lead her the rest of the way tot he table like a gentleman might, Erutis found that she could very well move her arm, and instantly snatched it sharply from him. "Don't you touch me." She snapped rudely.

"Ah, ah, manners." He scolded, raising one index finger and waving it back and forth at her tauntingly.

Erutis' arm froze up immediately, and she made a noise of shock and protest as he led her to her chair and seated her. Then, walking back to his own, he took a seat and watched her with amusement again.

She felt the skin under one of her eyes twitch again. She found that she could move again, though now the chair seemed bolted to the floor, and no matter how much strength she used, she couldn't move it back away from the table far enough so that she could escape. Fidgeting in place, she glared back across the length of the large table at him.

"What are you up to, Goblin King?" She demanded in a sulking kind of tone. Being stuck in this castle and being toyed with so was not her idea of how to defeat the Goblin King.

"First, you will not address me by that horrid title." He stated, straightening up. "You will call me by the name of 'Lord Krayon' instead."

Erutis frowned; he hadn't answered her question. "I'll call you whatever the hell I want." She growled back.

"And furthermore, I am not 'up to' anything that is to be concerned with you." He finished, ignoring her statement.

Erutis seethed, fidgeting some more. After a pause, she finally asked what had been on her mind since the moment she had woken up. "What am I doing here? Why didn't you kill me? Why won't you fight me?!" The last question was a roar, and her eyes widened in anger and she hurtled the challenge at him.

Krayon smiled at her devilishly. "I neither fight nor kill women, so don't bother puzzling over that. And the reason for your being here cannot pass from my lips at the moment."

Erutis was instantly fully enraged. "What do you mean you can't tell me right now?!"

"I mean exactly what I said, now, let us eat." Dismissing the conversation, he waved a hand and instantly there was food set before them. Erutis watched it with a mixture of fascination and unsure scrutiny.

It wouldn't make sense for him to poison her, but still, she didn't trust him at all.

Krayon noticed and laughed inwardly at the face she was making. She was hungry, he could see, but she wasn't going to allow herself to eat anything that _he_ gave her. "Come now, where are your manners, girl?" He asked.

Erutis kept her head bent toward her plate, but looked up from under her brows to scowl at him. "My name is Erutis." She bit out at him. Without another word, she took a bite of the food before her.

It was delicious; she had never tasted anything so good in her life before. Her taste buds sang with the rich flavor. It was perfect. She checked herself before she complimented him though, or even let it show on her face. She wouldn't let him think she enjoyed anything that had to do with him. Stiffening her shoulders and her resolve, she sat back in her chair harshly.

"It is nice to meet you then, Erutis." He purred, and she felt something begin to snap in the back of her mind. How dare he. . .!! Her name in such a manner of speech!

"Don't say my name like that." She ordered, waving a strange utensil at him that she had never seen before. It was like a sword, with several prongs on it, making it goodfor spearing some of the food and for scooping others. It looked threatening enough, so she was sure that by waving it she was emphasizing her words.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want." He mimicked. Erutis looked up at him sharply and felt a smirk rising to the surface. So, that was going to be the game then, was it?

"Tch, be that way." She growled, poking at her food.

Krayon chuckled silently and looked back up only to notice for the first time the cut on her knuckles. There was such a large spot of blood he wondered how he had missed it before.

"Oh, look now, you're hurt." He said almost in a tender tone and came from his seat.

Erutis froze, trying to figure out what he was going on about when it dawned on her that her knuckles were still throbbing. Pulling her hand away, she dropped the pronged instrument and pushed her hand into her lap. "It's nothing." She said forcefully, hiding it under the table where he couldn't see it.

A chair pulled out and traveled over next to hers, taking it, he tugged on her arm and gently looked over gash. Erutis blushed, eyes hidden under her bangs._'Damn it you idiot! Stop fawning over him!!' _

"It's nothing." She repeated, and tried to pull her hand away from him. He held tightly to it though, without hurting her with a death grip.

"It is not 'nothing.'" Krayon said firmly, hushing her with his tone. "It's not a serious wound, I'll give you that, but it is still not a minor one either." Looking up, he quirked one single eyebrow at her. "How did you acquire this?"

Erutis became flustered and frowned; though her eyes hardened as she chastised herself on her behavior again. Not willing to answer, she looked away in a huff, finding it hard to maintain her angered composure when he was acting so nice and caring.

And his hand was so soft and warm on hers. . ._'Argh!! Stop that!!' _Her eyebrows twitched only slightly as her inner voice cried out. _'He's the enemy stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!!!'_

"Hmm, maybe you smashed your hand into something in your anger at me?" He questioned, no amusement in his tone or readable on his face. When Erutis stiffened, he knew that he had guessed correctly.

"How did you. . .?" She dropped off, her eyes moving back to him.

"From the where the gash is formed and how it appeared to have been torn. Naturally, there were only a few possibilities. It must have hurt." From nowhere, bandages had appeared and he wasted no time in wrapping up her hand with them. The wound appeared to have been cleaned already, but when or how, Erutis was oblivious.

The display of trust and caring was what unnerved her the most about this man now. She knew him to be the Goblin King who killed ruthlessly, and had no heart, and yet here he was helping her without a word, and he sounded almost regretful at her being wounded in his home. Erutis swallowed, finding this hard to take in. He was the Goblin King, he couldn't possibly be so nice. . .

"What's your game?" She demanded as she watched him tenderly take care of her small hand.

He didn't raise his head; he could tell what she was asking just by her inflected tone. "There is no game." He assured her with a bit of a hurt tone. "Am I not allowed to take care of you? You are in my castle, after all, you're my responsibility."

Erutis blushed a little, but corrected herself immediately and looked away. He was almost finished bandaging her hand now. "I don't need anybody's help." She replied in a self-assured way.

He finished and laid her hand in her lap softly again before lifting his eyes to hers. "Is that right?" He asked, his eyes dancing with the pale light that was reflected in them.

Erutis narrowed her own and pulled back from him, not trusting him again suddenly. "It is."

He seemed to accept that and stood; the chair he had been sitting in disappeared as if it had never existed. Walking back to his seat, he resumed his meal.

Erutis watched him for a moment, her good hand stroking the bandaged one uncertainly. She was glad that he wasn't so close or touching her anymore, but now she was more confused than ever. Why was he acting so strangely? One minute he had one personality, and the next he had another. Fidgeting only a brief time more, she decided to puzzle it all over later, when she had more time to think about it all, and he wasn't near to influence her thoughts.

* * *

Ah, new chapter, hope you guys like and enjoy. The 'curse' shall, hopefully, be explained in the next chapter. I'm sure when that said chapter will come out, though, seeing as exams and the Holidays are coming up, and I will be quite busy. . . 

At any rate, everyone have a Happy Holiday until then. Ja'ne.

Review Please.


	3. Chapter Three

**_Curse of the Goblin King_**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Three_

Erutis sat in the high-backed chair, waiting for the formidable Goblin King to finish eating. She had barely picked at what was laid before her compared to him. He had finished almost everything and now sat up straight, downing the last of his drink and then turned his gaze on her.

Erutis froze, eyeing him carefully. Krayon found some amusement in her sudden uneasiness as his gaze fell on her. She seemed quite flustered, and something struck him as cute about her reactions to even the simplest things. He smiled at her divinely, making her tense up even more.

Coming out of his seat, he strode around the edge of the table, and came down the length of it toward her. She sat ram-rod straight, hair seeming to stand on end, eyes downcast and averted from his, though she still was watching him as he came closer and closer to her.

He stopped next to her chair and leaned down, his face coming too close to hers for comfort. She tried to move away, but found that she would bump into his arm on the other side of the chair if she moved too far. "You didn't eat very much, are you sure you're not hungry?" He asked.

She pressed herself hard into the back of the chair, trying to get away from him, though she knew it was futile. "I'm fine." She ground out in a terse manner, narrowing her eyes on him.

"You still appear hungry, though. I do not wish for you to starve." Krayon pressed.

"I'm. . .Fine. . ." She said slowly and forcefully.

He smirked as she squirmed uneasily. "If you are done then, please allow me." At this he pulled gently on her chair. Despite the ornate rug underneath it, it slid out quite smoothly, without catching even once or ruffling the rug beneath it. Erutis was sure this had something to do with magic.

When he had finished pulling the chair out, she knew that it was her cue to stand so that he may push it back in. But she was not about to cooperate for even a second and held perfectly still, grasping either side of the chair tightly with her hands. Her fingernails started to dig into the unpolished wood on the underneath of either side as she did so.

Krayon sighed as he saw that she was going to be difficult about it. Pressing one hand into his closed left eye, he frowned slightly as he examined the situation. She had a strong grip on the chair, but she was still just a human. A good pull would unseat her quite nicely. His arms snaked down and moved behind her shoulder blades, coming back up underneath her armpits and yanking upward. He smirked as she squirmed against the sudden contact, dropping her guard in shock and confusion. Erutis made a protesting, half-angry noise and had let go of the seat to wriggle her arms away when he pulled upward.

Erutis cried out, lashing out in the air to try and right herself, and to try and hit her enemy who had caused her to be flung over the top of the chair and into his waiting arms. She flushed furiously when she saw where she had landed and stopped for a moment, dumbstruck. Then, brows furrowed and eye twitching, she lashed around again, struggling against him. "Get off of me!"

He smirked wider, enjoying the fact that she was so enraged by such simple things to him. He hadn't been so mirthful since. . .well, it had been a very long time.

Leaning down, his lips touched hers in a brief kiss. Pulling back, he grinned broadly at her as she instantly calmed, her expression blank and face suddenly pale. "You're cute when you're angry." He commented.

After a moment, her eyes rolled towards him and she turned livid again. "You-!" Erutis cried, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. She couldn't help it, she felt so outraged, so violated. How dare he take advantage of her that way! Her first kiss lost to her enemy like that! Acting on impulses instead of clear thoughts, she wasn't aware that her hand had struck him on the cheek until he had released her.

Nimbly she stepped to her feet, glaring at him, the spots where tears threatened to overcome her were plainly visible to him as she watched him for one second before running out of the dining room and tore down the hallway.

As she fled, he felt a smirk cross his features. He half wanted to give chase, but willed himself to stop. It would not do to act on such impulses, especially for someone of his stature. Though he blatantly reminded himself that he _had_ just acted one of those said impulses, he brushed it aside and went back to his own quarters. He would just wait until she calmed herself and came looking for him. It would not do for him to make her more upset than she already was. If anything it would just hamper his plans at the moment. Touching the red handprint on his cheek thoughtfully, he left the room. Far behind him the sound of her angered stomping echoed in the mass pillared hallway.

* * *

Erutis' mind shrieked with denial and burning hatred as she strode away from the dining hall, heels grinding into the marble painfully. A string of curses were heard under her breath, and if one were to have peered into her mind, they would have found ever more crass words just waiting to be uttered. These were no words a Lady should have been using as if it were common everyday language! Certainly not acceptable behavior.

Still the rusty haired woman persisted, not even noticing or really caring that she had passed the door to her 'temporary' lodgings. There was still blood splattered and dripping from it where her fist had impacted not that long ago.

As she continued on, she came upon a large double-door that was like the one that led to her own room. Had she cared, she might have noticed that instead of a handle or knob, this door had simply two large, ringed knockers. This made it hard to access to anyone who lacked the strength to push the doors aside. But, having a sword-master's strength, she easily breezed past them, though her obliviousness to the situation ahead of her might have helped in this case.

Upon entering, a plume of dust and moldy air greeted her. No fresh air had come into the room in a very long time. Erutis gasped for breath, inhaling the dust particles, and immediately started coughing and spluttering, water droplets burning at the corners of her eyes. Covering her mouth with one hand, she bent slightly at the middle, placing her other hand near her chest. "Damn." She cursed, wincing.

The dust cleared after a moment, giving Erutis room to breathe. Gasping still from her fit earlier, she took a look around at the room carefully. It was dank and dark; furniture with large white cloths over them was stacked everywhere near tall, deep in-laid bookcases. The bookcases reached all the way to the ceiling around the circular room, and directly in front of her, across the far wall was an open window though it was opaque, only a few dim rays of light able to reach through to the room beyond. The in window reached outward, creating a window-seat or sill-type sitting area filled with dusty old, forlorn pillows. Curiously, she thought she spied an open book. _'But why would someone leave a book open in this room for so long?'_ She wondered.

The Goblin King, was her only answer. Not only was he the only one present in the dreary castle that could have done it, but he seemed absent minded enough to forget about such a large, drab room as this one for so long. _'Long enough to make himself a good thousand minions out of dust bunnies.'_ She noticed, covering her mouth as she cleared the distance between herself and the window.

Coming upon the open book, she raised an eyebrow at it thoughtfully. The writing seemed to be someone's own handwriting. Though this was not uncommon, she thought that the Goblin King could at least afford to get himself ink-printed books. Still, the pictures drawn inside were intriguing and she found herself sitting on dust-encrusted pillows subconsciously, a plume of dust filling the air around her and going unnoticed except for a single sneeze.

Scanning the pages, she found the writing hard to decipher, though she was slowly able to read the words, and, as she deciphered the letters, began reading back at her normal pace.

_"Curses involving more than one subject or object are very complex, and not easily broken. Like curses sealed by death or a kind of sacrifice, they are very powerful and may even lengthen the bearer's life if he does not find the cure or remedy to the curse and/or the curse does not fulfill it's basic need right away." _

Erutis blinked, stunned. _'A book about curses?'_ She thought, but read on, past the little sub-script notes about the above passage.

_"Curses may take years to accomplish their basic job. To read more about what kind of curse you have or are interested in placing on someone else, consult the Table of Contents."_

Erutis sighed as she came to the end of passage. _'It's like a training manual.'_ Rolling her eyes, she flipped to the contents, sending a shower of dust right at her eyes. Closing them swiftly, she waited until she was sure it was ok to look again, and found that she had turned right to the Contents. _'That was easy.'_

Skimming through, she found the manual on curses to be slightly humorous and ironic. She had never seen a book like this before on such a serious subject, and thought maybe she would try and write a book on being a sword-master just like this one someday. She giggled absently at the thought.

She stopped a particularly intriguing chapter that caught her eye. _'Curses That Affect One's Brain. Hmph, maybe the Goblin King's got one of those.'_ She grumped to herself.

Passing it by, she went on to the next column on the next page. The leading column read: 'Special Cases.'

_'Special cases?'_ Erutis questioned curiously. Flipping to the page, she found that a good deal of the book dealt with curses that had to do with 'special cases' and even included a history of such cases. Some were funny or humorous, and others were quite serious. And one such Curse bearer was horribly tragic, and Erutis felt moved by his story, though she wouldn't say it aloud that she was.

Most of the people that had been cursed were men who had angered women who had loved them but had their love never returned. _'That's so stupid.'_ Erutis furrowed her brow at a picture of one woman glaring at another man and woman kissing. _'Why would anyone get so worked up over such a thing like that? So he didn't love her back, big deal.'_

But then there were other stories where objects had been cursed instead of people, for the simple reason just to cause mischief or even to grieve the person to whom the object belong. The book simply stated that the cursing of objects could have a double effect, depending on how it was used, and in the end was quite useful and at times more spiteful than cursing the person himself.

Turning to the very last, and newest of what she had started to think of as the 'famous curses and their many bearers,' she continued to sneer at the past fables. None of them were particularly interesting, and all had a rather 'already been done' feel to them, though she was sure that originality did fade after a time. It was just so hard to come up with something new that no one else had done before if one was always competing with things that had already been accomplished in the past.

This last story – though it did not lack the 'non-original' feel – was the most interesting of them all so far. It started off like a fairy tale, but soon grew grimmer as she read on.

_"There once lived a powerful Demon Lord who ruled over the realm of dreams. His age was unknown, for he always looked youthful. Sometimes, when he was bored, he would enter the dreams of young maidens and haunt them, or simply enter anyone's dreams, if only to breach that sanctuary. But his curiosity was soon captured by the dreams of a single girl who lived in a simple village. _

_He visited her many nights in her dreams. He never fell in love, for he maintained that he was a demon and she a human. They would never mix, but she saw no such boundary and willingly gave him her heart. When it was denied, she flew into dying despair. Her heart broken, she died in misery, but not before sending out a plea that someone would help her. She was heard not by friend, but by a foe of the Demon Lord. As she was dying, she used the last of her strength to cast a curse on him, that his heart would be cold as stone to all with the exception of one who would be his ultimate downfall if he found no way to exact her love back for him. With the help of the enemy of the Demon Lord, another part was added onto to the curse. The Lord would be denied to leave the forest that his castle was contained in until the curse had been lifted, and neither would he be able to escape through dreams of those that lived outside of the forest. Only travelers in the forest and those in his castle would be subject to his power over dreams, and no one else. _

_Usually such curses brought about by a human on a Demon Lord would have no effect on such a powerful being. But with the exception that it was both a curse sealed by death (also being called an ultimate sacrifice in this case) and a curse exacted with the help of another stronger being, it was immediately placed into use."_

The words dribbled off after that, as if the writer had been suddenly overcome with sleep and just scrawled across the rest of the page as he fell on top of his own work in his exhaustion.

Erutis stared at it for a moment before closing the book abruptly. "Well, that was a good fairy tale." Glancing over the title of the book, she rolled her eyes. Curses for Dummies, a fitting title if nothing else. Fitting the book underneath her arm, she walked off toward the open doors, not caring to shut them back behind her.

Walking back down the hall, she found herself deep in thought about nothing really in particular, just ambling along, intending on heading back to her own room. Erutis had only passed a few of the large, thick pillars though, when suddenly she collided with something else. Startled, she stepped back, away from what she had bumped into, but only managed to place her footing wrongly and stumbled backward.

From her side, whatever she had bumped into made a groaning noise as well, though she didn't get to catch what she had bumped into as she spun and slammed onto the floor, the book skittering away from her grasp. Making a face, she rubbed her sore butt and looked back up indignantly, only to meet Krayon's gaze.

Fire flared up inside of her as she spotted his smug grin. He still remained on his feet, watching her in that way that he did, making her angrier and angrier every second.

"Watch it!" She hissed at him, glaring at him as if she wanted nothing more than to strike him dead at the moment.

The Goblin King went down on one knee, offering her one gloved hand. "I'm so sorry, Erutis." He said smoothly, irking her. "Here, let me help you up."

Erutis made a face, her lips tugging down ward into a frown. Her brows furrowed and her eyes narrowed. Slapping his hand away roughly, she denied his act of chivalry without a second thought and hoisted herself up in one swift motion. "I can get up by myself, thank you. I'm not some fragile little flower you can keep locked in a glass cage!" She warned him.

Krayon got back to his feet and gave her a cheery smile, his efforts to lighten the mood still taking no real effect on her. "That is most obvious, but you should let someone treat you more like a woman every now and then, hm?"

Erutis' face lit up with a blush, though it would have been easily mistaken for a reaction to the same anger that flared suddenly in her eyes, widening them in surprise at his comment. Was he trying to insult her? Anger bubbled and suddenly burst inside of her. She had always been short-tempered when mocked or teased, but it seemed more so with this man always hovering over or near her. Steeling her resolve, her hand came up, though not in the fist she had summoned. Smacking him, she stomped off again, as she left him standing in shock.

Krayon rubbed the cheek, pouting slightly. "What did I do this time?"

* * *

Well, the 'curse' wasn't explained really in the way that I wanted for this chapter, but I'm working on how to further and better explain it later. Though, I think you guys could understand it ok, ne?

At any rate – it was kinda hard writing the kissing part, since I've never done that before, and I wasn't exactly sure how to handle Erutis in a situation like that. I referred back to the manwha and tried my best, but I'm still uncertain. I'm sure someone will let me know if I screwed up big time though. Haha.

I will be out of town from December 30 – January 2, and I will have no computer to write on or get Online with, so I will not be updating to writing those four days, as it is most obvious. However, I will work my hardest the few days I have beforehand to prep for my return.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Holidays. I know mine were very good, but that might help that I love my mom's side of the family beyond words. **laughs at self** Well, enjoy yourselves everyone!!

Thank you for the reviews, as always. I truly appreciate it. See ya soon!

Review Please.


	4. Chapter Four

**_Curse of the Goblin King _**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Four_

Erutis spent that night back under the covers of the feather-soft bed that she had awoken in, no closer to destroying the Goblin King than when she had first walked into his forest. She had even allowed him to pass a few moves on her in the process!

Her cheeks burned at the memory of his kiss, but brushed them off in the heat of her anger. Cursing to herself under her breath, she decided that she would kill the Goblin King at the first opportune moment, though she would need her sword for that.

Yes, her sword! She had completely forgotten about it during the day. Gritting her teeth, she looked out at the rising moon from the large window. Her eyebrows came together in frustration. It would be hours until daylight. . .

But whoever said she needed to search for it by daylight? Krayon would be up and watching for her at those hours, would he not? So it would be more dangerous, plus, it was easier to be stealthy at night than by day. Erutis brightened at this idea, snickering to herself. Wouldn't the Goblin King be surprised when he found her pointing the menacing blade at his throat?

Gathering the thin night-dress around her, Erutis clambered swiftly and silently off the bed and headed for the door. It opened with a soft 'click' and she peered out, looking either way carefully before stepping out. She closed it behind her again just as softly and set off down the hall, her footsteps going unheard in the vast hall.

She opened every door she could find that she didn't already know what lied within, but after two hours of searching, had yet to find out where the Goblin King kept the weapons and armaments.

_'Maybe he keeps them with him.'_ She thought and felt her fluttering hope suddenly dissipate from her. If that were true, then she had no hope of getting it from him without risking more than she wanted to at the moment. Still, she wouldn't give up until that was proven.

She stopped as she realized that she had walked right out on a large balcony, situated on the back of the castle, overlooking what remained of the forest. It stretched for miles still; on the horizon loomed tall, majestic purple mountains. No escape route there, she would be caught before she ever made it to those mountains.

Above, the velvet sky danced. The light of the moon lit up the balcony eerily, and the many stars that dotted the expanse winked at her from their heavenly home. She smiled at them as she remembered a day when she had been back home, training secretly late at night and had collapsed in the grass, looking up at these same stars. _'Everyone back home must think I'm dead.'_ She thought, and her eyes turned back downward, suddenly lost.

To her right she heard the sudden clack of boots on stone and froze, anxiety pumping into her. Instinct told her to run and hide and she obeyed it after a moment of simply staring at the place where the noise was coming from. Dodging behind the large stone lion that sat frozen in a predatory growl beside her, she watched as Krayon stepped from another entrance onto the spacious balcony. Obviously, he had not seen her, and she felt relieved by that.

Erutis watched as he closed the distance between the edge of the balcony and himself in long, powerful strides, the heel of his boots clicking loudly. He seemed distracted, his eyes unusually hard and foreboding as he stopped at the balcony rail. His palms came down and grasp it as he leaned forward, bowing his head.

Looking out at the expanse of land before him, forehead wrinkling in concentration. Licking her bottom lip in curiosity, Erutis stayed poised behind the large stone lion statue. She was too intrigued by his change in demeanor to back away now.

Krayon grumbled something to himself, and sighed, running a hand through his curly hair in apparent frustration. His eyes lifted to the stars and he seemed to calm, a small smile twitching at his lips as the stars sparkling reflection flashed in his eyes. Erutis made a face as his entire form seemed to glow brilliantly with the stars and moon shining on him. _'What a show off.'_

Breaking from the trance that had somehow overcome her at the sight, she silently stepped away from the lion, always keeping the Goblin King in one corner of her eye. Darting swiftly away, she decided that it was best to make her way back to her room for the night. It wouldn't be good if he caught her snooping around in the middle of the night, and she was getting tired, putting her in no good position to fight him off if something happened. And she wouldn't put it past him if something did.

Forcing down a yawn, she quickly turned down the hallway to her room, trying to walk as fast and stealthily as she could without being heard.

* * *

The next morning found her hugging her pillow with an odd smile on her lips. Her eyelids still felt heavy, but as she stretched, they soon lost their load and complied with staying open. 

This was the second day she had been here at the castle, and still no sign of a way to escape, or her sword for that matter.

Erutis understood that it would probably take days to examine the entire castle, maybe even months, but she was impatient with things like this, and didn't look forward to searching months and months for her weapon. She needed it now if she wanted to kill her nemesis.

She didn't trust him anyway. What reason did he have for keeping her here like this? She went over the few reasons, but none of them seemed sensible at all. It just didn't make sense at all. A sigh escaped her, and she looked around, wondering where she might be able to acquire clothing for herself.

The nightgown had been nice to trudge around in the first day, but she didn't like the airy feel underneath her, and she longed for a pair of pants. A good, sturdy pair of pants, that's what she wanted.

Going to the tall wardrobe that stood in her room, she looked inside questioningly. A blast of moldy, thick air hit her as she swung the doors open, and she coughed as two moths fluttered out. They fluttered around her head for a moment before escaping out the slightly opened wooden door.

It smelled disgusting inside of the wardrobe, and Erutis took a quick glance inside, hoping to find something. Snatching at the only two things she saw inside, she pulled them out roughly and closed the doors shut tightly, her eyes still burning from the dust.

Erutis found to her dismay that the clothes were moth-eaten and smelled just as horribly as the inside of the wardrobe had.

"Great." She said, exasperated. "Of course the idiot can't keep anything in good condition."

Tossing the clothes aside, she brooded to herself as she sat on the floor, legs crossed.

Soon, a knock came at the door, and upon instinct, Erutis said sharply: "Go away."

A familiar, smooth voice drifted through to her consciousness, making her snap back to attention.

Krayon's head poked through the door, his curly hair tumbling around him. "That's very rude of you to say." He informed her, his lips seeming to twitch into a smirk, even though she knew he was not.

She turned her head sharply to face him and glared daggers. If looks could kill, this one would have struck him dead on the spot. "And it's very rude of _you_ to come in when I told you to 'go away.' Don't you ever listen to anyone?" She snapped.

He came completely through the doorway. "I do, but I think you forget something." He said, taking a seat next to her, crossing his long legs as well.

"What?" She asked warily.

He cupped her chin and smirked at her. "This is my castle, I can do what I want without permission from anyone." Krayon informed her, bringing his face far too close to hers.

Erutis blushed madly, and, placing a hand on his chest pushed him away roughly. He fell backward, she was sure purposefully. Glaring down at him, she knew her face was red as a beat. "You are so- ugh, I hate you!!" She yelled at him.

Getting up, she stomped to the door and was about to leave when she stopped on her heel and spun around, glaring back at him again. "Oh, and I'm gonna need some clothes too." She ordered, aware of how ridiculously strange she sounded saying those words.

"Do these not suit you?" Krayon asked, picking at one of the edges of the frilly nightgown thoughtfully.

Erutis tore it away from his grasp. Why did he always have to speak so seductively to her? "No." She informed him. "A nightgown is ok when you're _sleeping_, but not for regular day-time use."

Krayon stood, hovering far too close to her for a moment before tearing away and going to the wardrobe. Erutis started to protest, saying that there was nothing there when he flung the doors open, revealing the inside. A collection of dresses and such hung inside. Erutis made a face at them, and came closer cautiously. She didn't trust the Goblin King enough to let him lure her so lose with such a trick.

It was magic, she knew it had to be. There was no other explanation to it, and she refused to act starry-eyed over such a feat that was so simple for him to perform.

As she drew right up in front of the doors, she saw that there were actually a few pairs of pants inside. She looked over at him and gave him a faint smirk of thanks. He grinned back. "Does this mean you adore me now?" He asked brightly.

Erutis' eye twitched for a moment before she placed both hands on his chest and pushed him forcefully out of the door. Krayon drug his feet, trying to stop her, but she had toppled him in a heap outside and slammed the door behind her without another word.

Krayon stood, feeling miffed, and went for the handle. Erutis' voice came through the wood loudly. "Don't you come in here." She warned threateningly. So, she was changing, was she. . . ?

He smirked to himself at the prospect on spying on her, but that would be dirty and back-handed. She had not deliberately told him not to look because she was dressing, but she had warned him not to come in. And using magic to peer in would be the same as actually coming in. Krayon sighed as he realized that there was no way around it. He would just have to wait until she was done.

After a moment she swung the door wide open and stepped out to find him waiting patiently for her. "What?" She snapped defensively when he looked her over with a careful eye.

Erutis blushed despite herself, though she kept her eyes narrowed.

Krayon smirked at her. "You look dazzling." He replied.

"You're a good liar." Erutis growled, scratching her head idly. She was wearing one of the pairs of pants with a loose-fitting jacket hanging around her shoulders. A shirt that tucked into the pants was worn underneath; the collar fell just a little passed her neck.

"You always look dazzling, of course." He ignored her comment.

Erutis looked to him sharply. "What is the point of this, do you care to tell me?" She snapped irritably at him.

The King looked at her in mild surprise, though nothing could break that unshakable calm that he always seemed to emanate. "The point? My dear, I'm afraid I don't understand."

Erutis glared at him. "Don't play dumb with me! What's the point of keeping me locked up here, huh?! Oh, and don't you dare call me 'my dear' ever again!" She yelled at him, raging at the fact that he had not answered any of her questions yet.

He remained calm though. "I do not believe that I owe you any kind of explanation." He informed her.

Her anger boiled and frothed, almost bubbling over. She wanted nothing more than to strike him at the moment, but a person's greatest enemy in a fight was their blind anger, so she tried desperately to contain herself.

"Fine. Don't tell me." She growled through clenched teeth, not making eye contact with him.

Krayon checked himself as a bristling, fiery aura flared up around her suddenly. She was quite unhappy.

"But remember this," She suddenly brought her head back up and jabbed a finger at him angrily. "You _ever_ let your guard down and I'll be right there with a knife in your back! You hear me?! We are _not_ friends! I am your enemy and I'm going to take your head!"

With that, Erutis turned and stomped out of the room.

Krayon stared after her for a moment, sweatdropping and quite bewildered. "Why do I feel like I've just had a lover's spat?"

Still fuming, Erutis walked down the hallway with long, evenly spaced strides. It was a fast pace that she was used to using when she got angry. It helped to exert what energy was still bubbling inside of her from the day.

* * *

She found herself in the library again, and sighed deeply, sinking into one of the dusty chairs. A great cloud of dust shot up and enveloped her, but she didn't even notice it, she was too engulfed in the depression that always followed her enormous rages. 

Usually they were tiny and lasted but a moment, but at this time, it only deepened. The people back home were probably worried about her by now. Though she had no parents or loved ones to speak of, she had promised the villagers that she would return, and she had been one of their last hopes. Sullenly, she brooded on her situation.

So, she was stuck here, her sword gone, her honor as a warrior shattered as well. By the code of knights, she no longer deserved her sword since her enemy had so easily captured her. And now she was living luxuriously within his castle, with him constantly hovering near her. It was enough to drive not only a girl, but a knight mad as well.

She was determined to persevere besides these obvious facts, though it was proving challenging. A knight's life was nothing without challenge, though.

Her honor newly restored, Erutis decided on her next plan of action:

"To find my sword!"

* * *

Sorry for the wait everyone. I've kinda been depressed lately since it's gotten to raining almost every day here now. **sigh**

Does anyone think that the character's feel OOC a little bit? I'm sorry if they do. It's been kinda hard to draw love or feelings of any kind between them since Krayon rarely shows up in the manwha. And when he does, there are not many interactions between him and Erutis for me to actually get a hold of what I need to make all their reactions like to different things. If you ever notice anything, even something small, please inform me and I'll keep it in mind for the future.

Thanks for the reviews, minna-san. I appreciate it!


	5. Chapter Five

**_Curse of the Goblin King_**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Five_

Erutis dragged herself through the hallways sullenly. She was sure she was completely lost, she had walked so far that morning, twisting and turning, opening every door possible, she was sure there was no hope of her ever backtracking properly. The whole place was like a giant maze, with few distinguishing features from one room to the next.

She had wondered if it was an illusion to confuse his enemies, but soon abandoned that idea. It was plausible, but she couldn't find any proof that it was anything but what it was. Maybe he had purposefully made it to seem as an illusion, but in truth it was nothing but a master's ploy.

The person, who thought that they were experiencing a magical illusion, would simply disrupt it by using a spell to counter act the illusion. But, seeing as it was real, they would be in a stupor. She smirked slightly at this. Then they would be just as lost as she was, no matter how strong they were with magic. That Goblin King sure was a genius after all, she mused to herself. He had traded showy magic for something simpler, but that had an even better and more lasting effect on those who fell prey to it. A natural illusion.

Erutis stopped after a few more dogged paces. She was trembling with weakness. She had not eaten in breakfast and was having a bad case of the shakes. Her whole body felt as if it would give way under her, her stomach was lurching uneasily, making her think she was going to throw up whatever was in her stomach.

Leaning against a wall, she took in several deep breaths, trying to relieve the sick feeling threatening her. It worked to some degree, but only on her swimming head. And then she had had to make sure to think simple things, thinking too hard or intensely made her swoon.

Sliding to the floor, she continued her breathing, aware that her hand was jittering uncontrollably on the marble by her side. Feverishly, her eyes glazed and darted around, up and down the hall uncertainly.

_'I'll bet he'll show up. . .'_ She thought disdainfully. She hated that he was constantly the one helping her. She was much too chummy with him; he was the enemy. She couldn't allow herself to get comfortable around him. She always had to have her guard up. . .

"Feeling sick?"

Her head lolled to one side, her eyes rising up until it fell on his eyes, sparkling with amusement and seemingly laced with concern. She frowned at him and made an attempt to stand. It took her some effort, but soon she was able to stand upright, though she was still shaking like a leaf.

"No." Erutis grumbled at him stiffly, setting her spine rigid though the effort proved almost too much for her.

"If you want, you may join me for supper." Krayon offered her.

"I can fend for myself." She informed him coldly, continuing on her way as if nothing were wrong. Her stomach growled though, signaling that she was indeed hungry, and he smirked after her, the stars lined along underneath one eye seeming to flash and glitter. Erutis flushed with embarrassment, cursing inwardly.

He followed after her at a slow pace, making sure to stay far behind her. When she felt like she was being followed and would turn, Krayon would disappear, leaving her to face an empty hallway. She would always scowl; as if she knew he was there, but was unsure if she were going to callout at him incase he was not.

After a time, she began to sway, as if woozy, and he smirked at her attempts to stay upright. He followed closer now, gliding along between the pillars steadily, watching her the entire time.

"Are you sure you will not join me?" He inquired, startling her out of her wits. She looked about, trying to find him, and soon spied him up amongst the tops of the pillars.

She looked angrily at him, huffing. "I am not going to dine with my enemy. I'm going to find my sword and destroy you!" She informed him over her shoulder, still glaring before turned jerkily about and stomping down the hallway again.

By this time, she was quite famished, and her shaky, light-headed spells had doubled in proximity. When she had spun, and when she had yelled at him, she had felt as if she might just drop. Her muscles felt weak and several times her knees bent while she was walking, making her stumble.

Her mind was shifting to tired, dazed thoughts now, and once or twice she thought she felt as light as air, like when she did just before she fell asleep.

Erutis stopped as she came face-to-face with the door that led to the room in which she slept. She blanked, staring at it in confusion. But this had to be it, there was her fist mark from the other day. . . .

Without really thinking about it, she looked at her bandaged hand thoughtfully and placed it into the mark on the door. It fit perfectly. Yep, this was the place. But how had she gotten here?

She looked around and thought she saw the Goblin King faze out from behind a pillar. She narrowed her eyes. So, he was playing around with the construction of his castle again, was he?

Opening the door, she decided she would take a rest for a while, she felt achy all over and her feet hurt from all that walking. When she stepped into the room, she found that a lavish dinner awaited her within, on a tiny wooden table with a singular chair that seemed to have just been erected by the large window. Suspiciously, she whirled and stared at the place where the Goblin King had been moments before. Then, seeing as her lingering gaze was lost on him, she whirled back away and went into the room.

* * *

Having eaten and feeling restored and fit again, Erutis went back out in search of her sword. She tried looking in areas she had not before, but they were few and far between. She was starting to get annoyed and frustrated with the lack of results. There wasn't even a single weapon storage room _anywhere_ in the castle! Not a thing, not a even a small dagger in the whole place. . . 

Some of the rooms led into empty hallways, or were nothing but walls on the other side. Another trick, she had thought. To get you lost and confused. It had worked on her before, but she was determined not to get lost again. And to safeguard against her sick feelings from before reappearing in the future, she had brought along some food. Not very much, some bread and other small things, but it would be enough if she did happen to get lost again.

The search was proving fruitless though, and Erutis was ready to smack the first person that showed up, preferably the Goblin King. Suddenly, as her mind darted to him, a thought struck her.

What if he kept her weapon on his personage? Or worse yet, in his own quarters? He knew she would never dare go there in search of it, and if she did she might be trapped there. She highly doubted that he did not have spells cast to keep intruders out, and she didn't know enough about magic to counter anything he might throw at her. In fact, she knew very little about magic at all. . .

She had never seen anything on him that resembled a sword, so it had to be hidden in his quarters. She grimaced at the thought. She didn't _want_ to know what his rooms looked like. She was sick just at the thought of approaching them. But she was desperately wishing for her sword back. . .

She didn't have any idea where he lodged though. And she didn't dare follow him to his quarters at night; he was perceptive enough to pick up the fact that she was following him, for she knew she was no match for him in stealth.

Erutis sighed, leaning one elbow against the wall as a support to lean on in her frustrated exasperation. "I'm getting nowhere. . ."

Her eyes closed as she pondered deeply for some time to herself, though soon she found that her mind was drifting along with some mysterious melody that had reached her ears. For a moment she just sat and listened to it, no clear thought running through her mind, but soon her mind started to wonder on the lilting song that seemed to enchant her and guide her along toward it.

Where was it coming from? When had it started, or had it always been there, unnoticeable to her until then?

Erutis' eyebrows stitched together in displeased thought. She wasn't so keen about following the music, for this was an odd castle ruled by an even odder King, but she was curious as to what was going on.

Following the soft, sweet melody, Erutis walked carefully and as quietly as she could; feeling her heart beat picking up.

As she got closer, the music got louder, and the sound of someone's heels clacking on the marble floors was heard, moving in time to the music. Rounding the corner, she peered into the vast hall that had suddenly opened up in the middle of the castle.

It was enormous, reaching up far above her head and above the rest of the castle's roof. It was lighted brilliantly with some kind of unknown light. The suspended roof was painted a gold color that shimmered in the wild light. The floor was pure white, with fine gold rivulets running in it. There was a black border all around the edge of the white floor, with gold inlayed in an ornate, block pattern.

The room was enormous, it could very well have accommodated more than a thousand people. On the walls were several open balconies, suggesting that there were some second level to the castle that Erutis had not yet discovered. She supposed it was magic that made it look so brilliant, but even with that in mind, it was breathtaking to behold.

The music was beautiful, and the expansive room did not alter one brilliant key of its wonderful lilting melody. And in the middle of the floor was the Goblin King, dancing with his eyes closed, oblivious to the fact that she was watching, to the rest of the world, in fact.

He went on, swirling and turning wit his imaginary partner, acting as if his own little world had been constructed. The music flew into a crescendo, and Erutis found herself entranced by his movements.

His eyes opened as the music ended, he did not even appear out of breath from his exertions. Krayon's eyes immediately fell on Erutis and he smiled at her.

Coming out of her trance, Erutis flushed in embarrassment and narrowed her eyes on him. This only proved to humor him more as he stretched out a welcoming hand to her. "Care to join me for a dance, Miss Erutis?"

Erutis shook her head, her brown-red hair swirling around her face in a blur of motion. "I would not." She growled fiercely at him. Besides, she knew herself to have two left feet. Unlike other girls, she had very few qualities that fitted one of her gender.

He came toward her slowly, still offering the hand. "Please come and dance, I assure you I will not try anything." He promised in a sweet tone.

Erutis still refused, ready to bolt if he came too close to her.

Krayon was at her side, one arm on her shoulder, the other grasping one of her hands tenderly as he looked down into her eyes. He had moved too fast for her to comprehend his sudden appearance, and she jerked smartly when she felt his hold on her. "You must dance, dear Erutis." He insisted in a soft tone, entrancing her with his eyes again.

Erutis gaped, flushing, and tried to pull away yet again. He held too tightly to her though, and it ended up that all she could do was stare at him with that defiant look. Yet, she couldn't help but agree. It might be a good opportunity to learn of the whereabouts of her sword. Maybe, if he was wearing it on him, she could snatch it away and deliver a blow before he knew what had hit him.

An inner thrill hit her at that thought, though some part of her seemed reluctant to hurt him. She grimaced at the reluctance, had she let him wheedle his way in? She hoped not, it would make it more difficult to destroy him.

He led her slowly to the middle of the dance floor, all the time holding her with his gaze. She felt paralyzed, all she could do was watch him, and though she felt her eyes were wary.

The pair stood there, watching each other for a moment before a new tune suddenly sprang up around them, urging them into a soft, slow dance. Krayon guided her around the dance floor smoothly, and to her surprise, Erutis found that she was an apt dancer. Not wonderful, but sufficient; he surely wouldn't notice that she had never had a lesson in her life.

It was awkward though, dancing in the boy-ish clothes that she was instead of a puffy dress that she knew was more suitable to the occasion. She wouldn't have felt comfortable in that either, but for some reason, she was blatantly aware of how silly it was for her to dance in what she was wearing now.

"I think you look beautiful in anything." Krayon spoke up, as if reading her mind.

Erutis looked at him, a mixture of emotions burning in her eyes. More than anything she was angry with his furthered efforts to flirt with her or whatever he might have called it. He had a horrible way of killing the moment just when she was enjoying herself.

Her read her features as she closed her eyes and turned her head away from him in a huff. He continued to dance with her, as he mused to himself. What had he done to upset her now? It was better to apologize and find out what it was later. . .

"I am sorry if I have upset you." He stated, trying to sound as sincere as possible, which was rather hard considering he didn't know what his transgression was yet. He had thought that the compliment would cheer her, possibly bring her closer to him, but it had totally the opposite effect.

Erutis opened one eye and studied him thoughtfully, considering his apology and the fact that there was no weapon on him that was visible. At least, no sword, not even a sheath. . .

"Where's my sword?" She asked in mid-step, getting more and more accustomed to letting him move her instead of moving by herself in the dance. The music was getting stronger, and with it, their steps became more powerful and rigorous. Krayon had started to move them wildly, in a sort of ecstatic motion that spun them around and shot them across the room.

Krayon seemed miffed with this question. "If what you wish is for it to be returned to you," He started in a tone that sounded putout.

"I do." Erutis said stiffly, eyes narrowed.

"Then it shall be returned to you on the morrow." He informed her, looking displeased. Then, leaning closer, he looked at her in somewhat of a tragically pleading way, making her uneasy. "But for now, stay here with me and dance."

Erutis accepted this, though she felt as if another spell were coming over her from the look in his eyes. It was strange how the unknown emotions came over her so quickly when she was near him. Things like this had never happened before, and she had been around boys a good portion of her life. Why was she so uneasy with this one? Why did his presence make her heart flip-flop and her sharp tongue spark more occasionally in her mouth? She swallowed, blushing at the proximity between them.

He smiled at her benignly when he saw that she would comply, and as the song ended, he pulled her into another brilliant dance, all the time watching her with his serious gaze.

* * *

I'm mass-updating again, so there's not much time for a decent author's note. Gomen nasai, minna-san!

Thanks muchly for the continued support and reviews from everyone. I truly appreciate it and i have high hopes for this fiction.

See you next chapter!

Review Please.


	6. Chapter Six

**_Curse of the Goblin King_**

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Six_

It had been a whole week since she had come to stay in the empty castle that housed the Goblin King, and several days since her sword had been returned to her.

The morning after she had danced with him, she found it wrapped in silk at the foot of the spacious bed, awaiting her hands. Gleefully and slightly in awe of the silk that was encasing it, she had lifted it up and held it as if it was precious glass.

Now she had it at her waist, within the reach of her hand, and she felt much more secure with it near her. In truth, there had not been much to be frightened of though. The goblin King might have made a few advances toward her, but nothing she couldn't handle without a sword.

Since that night, though, Erutis had not seen hide nor hair of the King. Not a peep from him, not even a shudder running up her spine and informing her that she was being watched.

Before she had thought it unnerving to have him watching her every single moment, now she found it even more so without any sign of him around. She was annoyed and frustrated beyond her boiling point and wanted to scream. The silence was horrible now and she was feeling very dull and bored.

To keep herself sharp and awake she often practiced her swordsman's moves in the hallway. She didn't dare hurt the pillars though, not for the fact that they were part of his castle, but because they were so painstakingly and beautifully crafted. She could not bring herself to scratch them even by accident.

Clunking through the halls, Erutis kicked at the floor nonchalantly. For someone who had just had her beloved sword returned and her worst enemy disappear into thin air should have been ecstatic. But she wasn't. Instead she felt almost as if she missed him. _Almost_, being the key word there. She would never admit to actually missing that schizophrenic, quirky, deranged, crazy, floppy-haired, wily. . .Her mind ran out of insults to add to the list.

Erutis stopped as she pressed her head against the marble wall. "Ah, who am I kidding?" She grumbled to herself under her breath. "I do miss that idiot." A lonely feeling grew in her and added to her frustration, making her growl, fingering the tip of her sword angrily.

"Ah, what was that I heard? Did a sweet voice just say that I was missed?"

Erutis looked up at the familiar voice, the look of happiness too plain on her face. When she realized what she had just let slip though, her frustration took over and she struck out with a fist, sensing his presence close to her.

Her arm met the air and she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. The coward! "Come out!" She ordered the empty air.

She would have sworn he was right there next to her, teasing her, but maybe she had imagined it. Despite that though, her features were still set angrily, fiercely she glared around, hand still on her sheathed sword, ready to loose it on him if he appeared.

"Coward!" She called into the empty halls, hearing her voice reverberate and echo back at her several million times over before it fell silent again. The night pressed in and she was aware of fatigue clawing at her.

She wanted to stay and find him, but sleep was a priority and their fight could wait. Making a small 'hmph' she dropped her fighting posture and stomped off, wary of any further sign of him. What was the dirty bastard scheming?

* * *

Still angry, Erutis plopped down on her bed, glaring at the ceiling. She had changed out of her swordsmens clothes and now lay in a long white night dress that she frequently used to sleep in at night. 

She felt angry still and overwhelming anxious to see him again. She told herself that the reason she desired to see him so much was so that she could finally strike him down, but something else kept nagging at her, that that was not truth. That since the first day living in the castle her mind had changed. She hoped that was not true and forced herself to believe otherwise. It would not do for her to become friends with her enemy, let alone fall for him.

She wrinkled her nose at the thought. No, she would die before that happened. She would be eaten alive by the lowest-ranking monster before she let herself fall that far.

Still in a turmoil-filled stupor, she fell asleep, one arm bent behind her head as she lay on one side. Her breath eased soon and her brow stopped wrinkling. She looked calm and peaceful, and for once like she was vulnerable rather than the hard sword fighter that she maintained the appearance of.

* * *

As she slept a figure appeared near the window, shrouded in moonlight and pulling off the 'mysterious watcher' effect very well. 

He came closer and looked down on her, reaching out with one hand, he stroked aside the little bangs that obscured her face somewhat. Upon contact her sleeping face changed and she turned, fidgeting, as if she were struggling to try and hit him. She calmed after a moment of this and he smirked to himself.

"What a strange girl you are." He commented before bending and placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

Again Erutis made a face, but this time she did not struggle and lay still. Smirking he shook his head before walking back toward the window and disappearing into thin air.

"So she misses me, does she?"

* * *

Erutis woke to the sound of an irritably loud voice shouting, the annoying sounds echoing in the halls. It wasn't even first sunlight yet when she glanced up at the window, and her head felt heavy with the lack of sleep. Glaring through bleary eyes, Erutis got up and stumbled to the door, not yet registering the voice that continued to shout something she didn't quite understand. 

Thrusting the door open, she stomped out and let out a loud scream that cut through the other voice like a knife and startling the speaker into silence. "Shut up! Some people like to sleep at regular hours!"

Immediately the clunk of boots hurried toward her voice. "Goblin King!" Bellowed a familiar voice. Erutis' head started to hurt as she recalled who the owner was.

As he rounded the corner, she spotted him, decked out in his heavy clerical robes and his black hair a mop on his head. She knew he probably never combed his hair, seeing as it always appeared unruly.

In one hand was a large staff, one that showed his rank as a low-level cleric, though he still was destined to be the one to takeover the highest order some day. She inwardly scoffed as she recalled this fact about him. The boy called Chris was highly immature and was obsessed with fighting and killing off Demon Lord's so as to swell his own prowess. He had a mighty ego, and she briefly wondered if it was as big as the Goblin King's was.

He stopped mid-step; his foot coming down with a heavy 'bang' that echoed through the silence between them. Erutis watched him with casual sleepiness, rubbing at one eye lazily as Chris continued to just stare at her with wide eyes.

"E-Erutis?" He finally choked out, pointing at her with one shaky finger in disbelief.

"What?" Erutis grumped, not at all surprised to see him. She had known in some recess of her mind that he would appear at one time or another - it was inevitable - the only question had been 'when'.

His mouth opened a strange sound came out, as if he were attempting to imitate a parrot's squawk, his finger was starting to shake more erratically, moving his arm and shoulder with it. "What are you doing here?"

"I _was_ sleeping." Erutis stressed the past tense very heavily.

"No, I mean, what are you doing here, sleeping, and. . .and. . ." He looked as if he might hyperventilate.

Erutis sighed, rubbing her forehead with one hand, she had hoped he wouldn't be such an idiot. "Hold on, let me get dressed before you go off on idiot mode much longer."

He didn't even seem to hear or notice her as he continued to blather to himself. Erutis returned only a few moments later in her swordsmen's clothes to find him in much the same position. One eyebrow twitched as she watched him.

"Calm down." She ordered, giving him a karate-chop to the head.

Chris's head snapped back and immediately he seemed fine again, though now he was angry. "Everybody back at the village has been worried about you and here you are living it up in the castle with him!" He accused as soon as he got his ground back.

Erutis looked at him through dull, half-open eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"You!" He pointed the clerical staff at her sharply. She took no notice of it as a threat and continued to stare at him as if she could really care less.

"Yeah, but what are you telling me about those villagers? They might wonder where I am, but they certainly wouldn't have worried. I think they'd actually enjoy the idea of me being dead." She half-joked.

The villagers liked her well enough, but she had been the cause for a lot of ruckus around the town lately, seeing as she was a female swordsman and that trade was all but forbidden to women. The fact that she was a woman daring to be a swordsman - and a sword master at that – had been the reason that several bandit leaders came to pay her an unneeded visit. She doubted that they had even sent out a search party for her for more than a day or two when she had not returned on schedule.

"Wait," Chris suddenly stopped his accusations, and brought his staff back to his side, looking around suspiciously. "Is he still alive?" He asked, leaning close to Erutis who gave him a curious look.

"Of course. You can still feel his aura, can't you?" As a cleric and she a high-ranking sword master, they could both sense the aura of the Goblin King in the castle. Though it would take forever to pinpoint exactly where he was on the castle grounds with how little training they had both had in the art.

He rounded on her again. "Then what are you doing here just lying around!" He demanded, waving his staff at her again.

Erutis became vexed and shook her fist at him. "You think I'd just be lolly-gagging around if I knew where he is!"

"It looks like that's what you're doing to me!"

"What was that?" Erutis shouted before jumping him, waving her sword above her head. Chris met at, bringing his staff up to protect him. The little spat continued the two of them just wearing the other down without causing any real harm.

When the pair finally broke apart from the violent disagreement, they were panting and watching each other with narrowed eyes.

Chris dragged the back of one arm across his forehead as he gasped for air. "I think you've gotten rusty just lying around, Erutis." He smirked.

"You're one to talk, you're as worn as me." She returned, knowing that it was true. She would have to start training herself harder from now on; she couldn't afford to fall behind now.

"Where is he?" Chris asked, coming out of his crouched fighting position to look about him slowly. He obviously had lost interest in feuding with Erutis.

Erutis stood as well and rubbed a hand through her hair, ruffling it sleepily. "How should I know? Ever since I got my sword back he hasn't shown his face."

Chris didn't ask what she meant by 'since I got my sword back' and Erutis was glad, she didn't feel like explaining that situation to someone like him. Instead he made a disappointed face and slouched down to the floor, arms and legs crossed and chin on his chest. "He's a coward. He ran away from Erutis, so he must be a coward."

"Shut up, nobody asked you!" Erutis yelled at him, but he took no notice, he just continued to pout.

"I am not a coward." Krayon's voice suddenly boomed through the hallways.

Chris looked up, shocked as he heard that and was soon on his feet, holding his clerical staff aloft. "The Goblin King?" He said more for his own benefit than anyone else.

Erutis rolled her eyes; the Goblin King was all about showing off on any occasion that presented itself and Chris was playing right into it. Still, this was the opportunity she had been waiting for, the chance to fight him at last!

There was a puff of showy smoke that sparkled and sparked, flares shooting out and dancing down extravagantly through the air. In the middle of the perfume cloud sat Krayon in mid air, smirking down at them. His cloak billowed with the help of magical spirits and the two little stars under his eye seemed to sparkle with their own magic. His eyes glistened and his earrings flashed as they caught the morning light.

Yes, he was milking it for all it was worth all right. Chris gawked, but Erutis just stared dully, arms crossed over her chest.

"If it's a fight you want, I'm right here."

* * *

Finally updated, sorry about the long wait everyone.I'm a bit of a slacker and very lazy, so I have been shirking my author's duties lately. **repeated bowing** Gomen nasai!

Anyway, I'm hoping to spend more time on the curse and Eru-chan and Kra-chan's relationship after this. Yes! Chris ahs finally come in! But will he fight the Goblin King or will he prove to just be in the way of Kra-chan's infatuation with Eru-chan? **evil grin** We shall hopefully find out in the next chapter. . .

Thanks for the reviews and your patience, minna-san. I appreciate all your support and help as I continue with this little fiction here.

See you all next chapter! Happy Easter!

Review Please.


	7. Chapter Seven

_**Curse of the Goblin King**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Seven_

"If it's a fight you want, I'm right here."

Krayon had appeared in all his smug, cheaply-animated glory. Erutis stared at him, rolling her eyes in exasperation at his behavior. Did he have absolutely no shame at all? Now why did he have to go and pull some stupid stunt like this? Now she'd never be able to get Chris to calm down.

The said cleric's eyes were wide in shock at the sudden (and rather girly) appearance of the Goblin King. _This_ was him, the 'Goblin King!' Well, he had heard that he was beautiful like a Demon Lord, but he had blown that off as just a rumor. Who would have thought that the might Goblin King looked almost like a woman and not the horrible ugly beast that everyone seemed to think he was?

Now, seeing as it was true, Chris smirked and brought up his clerical staff, tipped with one of the Holy Jewels of Rased. They were not meant to fight with, in fact, he was probably committing several sacrilegious acts by simply having the ambition to be a demon-slaying-cleric.

He had never really stuck to the rules though, being far too hotheaded and having far too short an attention span for religion-related things. Besides, here he was, and here was the Goblin King too, what better way to rid the world of a horrible menace and gain some fame in the process?

"Fine, as long as you aren't afraid of fighting a cleric of Rased." He challenged with a smirk, going into a fighter's stance.

Krayon laughed outright obviously unimpressed by Chris's statement. There was a look about his face that made it appear as if he were going to enjoy this little fight. "I'm never afraid to fight, though you're hardly worth my time."

He had succeeded in getting Chris angry at this statement, not that that was hard to do in Erutis' opinion; the young boy jumped forward, wielding his only weapon with a loud roar.

The Goblin King dodged, laughing as Chris wheeled about and struck out again.

Again and again Krayon dodged, teasingly holding still long enough for Chris to think his attack would connect before darting away.

Panting, Chris stopped long enough to glare and catch his breath, seeing now that attack head-on was worthless.

Krayon came down. Hovering for a moment over the marble before touching down lightly and giving Chris a mocking look. "Already giving up, cleric of Rased?" He teased with a hint of a smirk.

Ignoring him, Chris put the staff in its holder on his back before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. He held quite still, his breathing shallow, his mouth moving to form words. He began to glow and his hair and clothes lifted and moved in slow motion to the current of a non-existent breeze.

Erutis' eyes widened in shocked interest. Up until now she had been watching with her arms crossed, waiting for Chris to either tucker out or for Krayon to get bored and pop off again to wherever it was he had been this entire time. This, though, was unexpected. She hadn't known that Chris had learned any of the divine chants that the clerics sometimes used to heal wounds. The question was, though, if he could use them in an attack form rather than just a scrape-healer. She doubted it, but he seemed pretty confident in his abilities.

Krayon got a playful, almost happy grin as he noticed the charging energy. "How fun, a challenge." he mused.

With that he pulled back up into the air, continuing to ascend till he nearly reached the roof. As he did so, he called up a ball of dark energy of his own. It was a deep, dark purple shade that snarled and popped with electricity in his bare hands. Mumbling under his breath the dark incantation used to call up his attack, his eyes grew cold and serious in a way that Erutis had never seen before.

Erutis shivered and caught her breath when she recognized Krayon's incantation. She couldn't hear his words, of course, but that crackling, sinister dark purple energy that was manifesting was unmistakable.

Being a swordsmaster and having been trained in the art of demon-slaying had a pictorial dictionary of demon spells logged in her brain and could easily recognize any one of them. But what was the Goblin King doing calling up demon spells, and especially one that usually only Demon Lord's could manifest? Was he a Demon Lord?

Her eyes widened at this prospect, and it all came back to her now. The strange occurrences, the reason she had been trapped in this castle for so long, his random appearances and his altogether quite dashing looks. He wasn't just some cursed human; he was a Demon Lord! And Chris definitely wasn't ready for a Demon Lord, despite he biased opinion of him fighting the Goblin King. Against a Demon Lord spell like that there would be nothing left of him but the sacred stone of Rased on his staff.

A sudden decision struck her, and just as the two attacks were just about to be released on each other, she jumped forward, sword in hand.

Chris and Krayon both seemed to come back from whatever planet they had been visiting and watched her in shock. Recalling their attacks, they stood down as she stood defensively in front of Chris. "Back off, Krayon!" She ordered loudly, glaring at him defiantly, daring him to move against her.

Her teeth were grit to stop them from chattering, and her legs and hands were shaking. She could feel a nervous sweat breaking out on her body. To tell the truth, she was quite frightened, but she was trained to fight no matter what emotions clouded her mind and so steeled herself against any coming advance. She knew it was probably suicide, and she wasn't at all one to suddenly show affection, but this was her friend, like it or not, and she was not about to stand by and watch him be slaughtered.

Krayon continued to stare for a moment, not making a sound, before he completely recalled his attack and floated back down to the ground with a funny like half-smile on his face, as if he were willingly submitting. "If that is what you wish, I will not fight the boy any longer." He promised.

Raising his head, he gave her a pleased grin, as if he expected her to jump right into his arms with cries of happiness and praises and thanks for sparing her friend. He was utterly disappointed then, when Erutis simply sheathed her sword and turned about on the young cleric that seemed clueless as to what was going on now.

Bopping him over the head with one fist, she glared at him fiercely. Chris growled and grasped at his head, looking up at Erutis with a tiny tear of pain in the corner of one eye. "Ow! Damnit, what the hell was that for!" He demanded angrily.

"Idiot, you don't know anything, do you?" Erutis scoffed at him. "You nearly got your ass killed just now, moron!"

"Yeah right, I knew exactly what I was doing you crazy wench!" He returned, one hand clenched in a fist as the other continued to cradle his bruised ego.

"Watch your tongue or I'll rip it out!" Erutis warned. "If you're going to fight people that know magic like you do, at least take the time to memorize what certain attacks look like. Especially the ones that'll kill you if you touch them!"

Chris stuck his tongue out at her, and Erutis immediately put him in a choke hold, growling insults at each other, they wrestled and fought like kids until they were both out of breath.

"You're still that idiot punk I left behind in the village." She said, glaring at him.

"Yeah, like you thought I was gonna change much in so little time?"

"You could stand to grow up a bit and live in the real world."

Krayon watched the exchange with growing envy. Not of the fight between the two, but of the friendship that obviously was between them. Sure, they had their differences and fought a lot, but Erutis would never allow _him_ to act that way toward her.

Deciding to break it up before he got any sicker to his stomach, he made his way briskly toward them. "If you two are quite finished, I believe it is time for breakfast."

* * *

By some stroke of luck, Erutis and Chris were able to dine with each other with no more than several obvious glares at each other sent down the length of the table. Well, it was better than them having an eating contest, Krayon mused to himself as he sent a side-long glare of his own at the new guest in his castle.

How dare the little cleric show up and try to steal his Erutis away when he wasn't watching!

Now, any logical person could tell you that Chris was really no threat at all to the Goblin King, either in battle or to his relationship with Erutis, whatever it was at that point. But jealousy clouded his usually clear mind and so he sunk into almost a childishly pouting state the longer he thought about the new addition.

Well, if he was lucky, he could most likely kick the kid out before long, and it looked as if Erutis didn't really think more of him than just a close friend; he contented himself with these thoughts, though it did not stop his jealousy from rearing it's ugly head.

Erutis finished eating and quickly got to her feet in a swift motion before stomping off.

"Hey, where are you going, coward!" Chris jumped up from the table, slamming his flattened palms against the wood.

Erutis waved a silencing hand at him. "None of your business. And don't follow me." She added when Chris made to give chase.

Erutis continued on walking until there was nothing left but the sound of her boots clunking against the marble hollowly.

After a moment of tense silence, Chris grunted angrily and pushed himself back down into his chair, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes.

Krayon watched him curiously; waiting to see what he would do next. He actually had half a mind to follow after Erutis himself, though secretly of course, but something told him she was in no mood for his antics either. Not that that had ever stopped him before, but this 'Chris' creature was quite strange and he was interested in watching the competition.

Chris finally seemed to notice that someone was watching him and started when he saw the Goblin King looking right at him with a displeased, almost hate filled look. His eyes were narrowed and he made no noise when Chris shifted uneasily away from him, just continued to stare blankly.

Uncertain of what was going on, Chris tried acting as if he wasn't bothered by the Goblin King's unnerving stare and got to his feet roughly again, nearly toppling his chair in the process. He cleared his throat, and shifted it back into place before walking around the room aimlessly.

The eyes of the Goblin King followed him all the while and he felt aggravated by this. What was he doing, following him around the room with that weird look in his eyes! The freakin' psycho! How could Erutis stand to be penned up in this place with some creep like this hanging around. . .More to the point, why was _he_ staying here like this now? The Goblin King was his enemy as was he Erutis' and here he was dining with the horrible thing! Not only that, but Erutis acted as if it were no big deal at all! Had something happened?

Glancing slowly out of the corners of his eyes at the goblin king, he swiftly looked away when their eyes met and felt a chill run through him. No! Not him! She wouldn't have. . .No, Erutis wouldn't have. . .

His mind seemed to go blank just before racing with a sudden barrage of confusing and mostly indecent thoughts. What if Erutis was under his mind control and that's why she was acting all funny? He had heard that the Goblin King might have powers like that.

Suddenly Chris whirled about, flames in his eyes as he grasped at his clerical staff still in the pouch on his back and prepared to strike out at the Goblin King who still sat at the table, watching him. "I'll destroy you!" He proclaimed as he jumped into the air.

"I wonder what she sees in you?" Krayon mused aloud, dully watching the boy that was sailing through the air towards him. "You're no different from other brats."

Chris dropped back to the ground, shocked that he had spoken, and not only that, but that he had somewhat confirmed Chris' suspicions.

"What are you talking about?" He demanded, taking a seat across from the Goblin King and scrutinizing him angrily. He hated being called 'brat', but he would let it slide for now.

Sighing to himself wearily, Krayon got to his feet before sending Chris another glare. This time Chris did not stand down, instead he met the glare with one of his own as the formidable Goblin King prepared to stride away. Without another word, the King strode off.

"Hey you! Wait! Get back here, damnit! I'm not done talking with you!" Chris chased after him, but stopped when he turned the corner he had just seen the Goblin King turn.

He had vanished into thin air, not even a wisp of magic sat in the air where he had just been.

* * *

Waah! Sorry about the long wait, minna-san! Again!

Well, it's nice to be back, I really missed working on this while I was busy on some of my other fanfictions. I hope that no one thinks there is a loss of description in this fic suddenly, I looked back over it just now and it didn't appear so, but there is definitely a lot more talking scenes in this fiction than I think in the last few chapters. O' course, that could just be me. Also, does anyone think that Chris is OOC? I think I got him down pretty good, but I'm such a perfectionist I doubt my ability to keep anybody IC. Hehe…

Thanks a lot for all the reviews, minna-san! I knew that there had to be more EruKra fans out there! Hehe, thanks again, you keep the fic coming back. Also, thanks for your patience as always, I'll try and update again soon.

Thanks again and see you all soon! Ja'ne!

Review Please?


	8. Chapter Eight

_**Curse of the Goblin King**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Seven_

_"Everything I've done, I've done for you." – 'Within You,' **Labyrinth**_

Chris made a face as he found that the Goblin king had run away again. "Coward." He mumbled under his breath and promptly went in search of his friend, Erutis.

He walked as softly and quietly as he could while still keeping a swift pace. He was curious about what had happened to his friend now and maybe a touch concerned. She seemed fine enough, but he wondered why she had not yet escaped from this place, if she had tried at all. He knew her to be bullheaded and stick to her guns once she set off to do something like this, but this situation just did not seem right to him.

Erutis acted as if this palace were her own and the way she had acted around the Goblin King had him wondering. Likewise, the terror of the forests around Erutis and his village, the Goblin King, seemed to acting quite out-of-the-norm as well. He wasn't quite sure what 'normal' was for the strange being, but he was sure that to keep a female swordsman around without even doing anything to her like this was not something that his kind did on a regular basis.

Just what had transpired in these few weeks that he had been separated from his friend?

It took him what seemed like a millennia to get anywhere in the castle. It was built like a maze, and he soon grew frustrated with it, thinking that he was passing the same places over and over again. The architecture was something to marvel at, and if he had not been so consumed by other thoughts he might have said so, but now he was simply disgusted and angered by the design of the building.

Forgetting himself, he charged down the hallways like a mad man until a door set slightly ajar caught his attention. Inside he could see a peek of wan light hitting the darker marble floors outside.

Stopping suddenly, he nearly toppled himself with the sheer force needed to bring himself to a halt.

He peered in carefully; not quite sure of what to do now that he was sure he had discovered the whereabouts of Erutis. He had at first thought that he would yell at her and demand answers, as was his usual attitude with her. But now he was nervous, for some unknown reason, about how to confront her. Erutis tended to be more violently-inclined when she was already angry, and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to deal with the Goblin King too if his suspicions proved correct.

Erutis was indeed inside, peering out the window, her chin in her hand. Her eyebrows were knitted together in deep contemplation and frustration. Her mouth was pulled taught, the corners turning down in a frown.

She was apparently peering into nothingness, for there was nothing but bare trees set in mud with some patches of grass that extended out until they were swallowed by mist. The mist swallowed everything within a mile radius of the castle, and Erutis felt almost as if it might be some kind of barrier. A barrier that did not keep things _out_ but kept them _in_. Her mind flitted back to the book she had taken from the library that had said something about curses. A rather powerful one had been placed on a famous Demon Lord once. . .

Her thoughts were distracted as she suddenly caught the sound of someone entering the room. She snapped back to reality and felt the kind of sleepy-dizziness she sometimes experienced when she thought too deeply for too long. It quickly faded as she whirled to face the person who dared disturb her.

She was expecting to find Krayon there, and had a particularly nasty comment ready to throw at him. She was in a testy mood and had no patience for him any longer.

Erutis was surprised to see Chris standing there instead, giving her a stern look to cover his mild anxiety about facing her. He could see on her face that she was angry, but was determined to get all the answers out of her anyway.

She stared at him blankly for a moment, wondering what he wanted. "What?" She asked simply, raising an eyebrow.

"What's going on here?" He returned angrily, his tone harsh. It grated on her nerves.

Instantly her anger was aroused, but she tried to remain civil for as long as possible. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about! Why are you here in this castle with that weirdo?"

Erutis gave him a scornful look, how would he react if she told him the truth? That she had fallen in battle to the Goblin King and was now his prisoner. Well, at least in a loose sense of the word. "It's none of your business. You should leave why he isn't looking. You can't defeat him anyway."

"Have you even tried escaping from this place? He keeps disappearing, so you have plenty of opportunities!" Chris grunted, folding his arms over his chest as he ignored her comment.

Erutis felt even sillier. She hadn't even really contemplated leaving. She knew he would capture her before she got too far off and so had given up on the thought immediately. The only thing that troubled her was that she was still alive after all these weeks in the castle alone with him. He had not even made his intentions toward her known yet.

"So what if I haven't?" She returned, getting to her feet.

"What are you staying here for, and why does he look at you like that?" He suddenly gasped and drew back, one arm up by his mouth in horror. "Are you-"

Erutis drew in a deep breath to calm herself. So the fool had finally figured out that the King was infatuated with her. She had no idea why, but the fool obviously was. She wondered why it had taken Chris so long to see it. But here he was about to scream it to the whole world-

"Are you two related!" Chris cried.

Erutis hung her head in defeat. She would stop giving Chris so much credit from now on.

"No, we are not!" She cried, bopping him over the head.

Chris gave her an outraged look as he grabbed at his wounded head. "Then what the hell are you hanging around here for!" He demanded, raising a fist as if to strike back at her.

Erutis tried to calm herself; she was getting nowhere like this. If she continued to yell and attack him, Chris would only grow more bullheaded and she'd never get him to leave.

"Look, you're only going to cause trouble if you stay here. And besides, you have an important job back in the village, don't you?" She wasn't quite sure if that statement was going to convince him any further of leaving, but she knew if she made some out-of-character statement he would definitely never leave. She was at a loss as of how to get him to see reason.

"Come with me then." he snorted, stomping down one foot to emphasize the fact that he would not leave unless she complied.

Erutis glanced at the room she was in, and thought back to the previous weeks. Not once had she ever thought of escaping. Not until she had killed the Goblin King at least. She hadn't had a chance to fight him again though, and maybe running off wouldn't be such a good idea. At least she could draw him out for a fight if she left and he gave chase. She supposed he would at least. It would be a shame to ruin his beautiful castle, at least.

Sighing again, Erutis wondered what she should do. Chris seemed determined to find out what was going on, or get her back to the village, whichever was most convenient. It really wasn't a hard decision to make, the obvious choice was to leave, but she had her pride as a fighter. Not only that, but it felt strange running away from this place.

"Fine, come on then." She grunted, walking out of the room before she changed her mind.

Chris looked surprised that she had already decided, but followed after her, quickly asking after whether there were any horses to be had around the place. Erutis shook her head; she had no idea about what lay outside the castle. She had not taken the time to explore outside yet, despite her rather long "visit."

"Then how are we supposed to make a swift get away?" Chris demanded sharply.

"We'll go out the way you came in." Erutis replied, not really paying attention to what he had asked. She was busy studying the castle, thinking it would be the last time she would see these halls.

* * *

Krayon watched them go from a tower high up in his castle. Mixed emotions settled in him as the two little black dots slowly entered the twisted forest. 

There was a twinge of sadness as they disappeared from his sight. He had done everything to accommodate the girl; he had even left when he thought that his presence was a burden to her. Yet here she was, abandoning him to the loneliness of his empty castle. Without even a second glance backward she was gone, and from the sadness was born a cool rage.

He knew that she was the one that would break the curse placed on him and as such he should not allow her to even attempt to leave. Somehow though, he could not gather the strength to chase after them. The sadness was still there and it weighed him down.

"So be it."

With that he turned back into the darkened room he had been staying in, his cloak flapping loudly behind him.

* * *

Erutis turned back when they had not gone more than fifty feet into the forest. Her eyes took in the castle behind her, already shrouded in mists. It looked as if it might have come right out of her dreams, and who was to say it hadn't? 

A sudden pang was sent flying through her heart, a great sorrow flooded her, but there were no tears for the sorrow was not hers. She thought she heard an eerie piercing noise echoing in her mind, but she was sure it was her imagination.

The forest seemed oddly still, though she knew that the silence had not once been shattered by any noise louder than their shallow breathing and hollow footsteps. Still it felt as if a new chill had fallen over the forest, if that could be believed. It was already so hostile and set-apart, Erutis herself had a hard time comprehending how it could get more distant than it already was.

Chris looked back at her curiously when he found that she had stopped to study the castle. "What is it?" He asked when he saw the strange look on Erutis' face.

Erutis didn't even look back at him as she spoke: " . . .I think he's crying."

* * *

Erutis OOC? Krayon OOC? Chris OOC? Does anyone at all seem OOC? **is quite worried by this**

Thanks to everyone that reviewed! I appreciate that there are so many EruKra fans out there that are willing to help and give me pointers when I fall behind. Hehe. Thank you all so much! I hope you ahve a great summer, minna-san!

Much love! Thanks again!

Review Please?


	9. Chapter Nine

_**Curse of the Goblin King **_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Nine _

The wind moaned, the trees shivered under a false breeze, the castle loomed out of the mist, dark and foreboding. It leered down at the two that dared to try and escape it and then spun back to hide amongst the mist once more in a dizzying way.

The air grew chill, a fearful shudder ran up Erutis' spine and made every hair on her body stand on end as a shriek of despair ripped through her very being. She could not hear it with her ears, she simply felt an overwhelming amount of pain and sadness fill her as she looked back at the castle.

Chris did not seem to notice anything at all save for his companion's strange behavior as her eyes caught the evanescent outline of the castle. She did not look at him as she spoke of someone crying; he could see her shiver involuntarily.

"Erutis?" he questioned, wondering what had come over her.

Erutis shook her head, tearing her eyes away from the castle and looking back at Chris in a panic-stricken way. He had a worried look on his face, and she quickly covered up any emotion she would not want him to see registering on her face.

"Nevermind," she said gruffly and strode off, boots clunking loudly on the turf. She crushed sticks and dead leaves underfoot with a heavy stride, trying to appear annoyed so that Chris would not ask any questions.

She herself was not too sure what she had experienced just then. She wanted to believe that it was another of the Goblin King's tricks to try and scare her or entice her somehow, but she was not so sure. The pain had not been hers, and yet in a way had been. Somehow she had felt as if she might actually cry - hearing those mournful, inhuman wails of sorrow and despair. Even now she could feel some aching throb in her heart, with each footstep it seemed to grow worse. She grit her teeth and bit her bottom lip to stop them from releasing the tears she refused to ever shed.

_'Especially not for him!' _she thought to herself indignantly. She would forget the floppy haired King as soon as she returned to her village, she knew it. In fact, she was forgetting him _right now _.

Stubbornly, she trudged on, forcing herself to think of _other _things. Things that _did not in any way _include that beastly Goblin King and his stupid castle. She was determined to think as little of him as she possibly could.

* * *

The walls of the castle grew dingier, the beautiful marble cracked and shifted, and the rich tapestries and ornate woodwork on the chairs disintegrated and became dust and ash as they once had been. The vases and pedestals fell, crashing to pieces and scattering across the broken marble. The curtains became torn and faded, flapping uselessly against the wind that blew in through the shattered glass in the windows. The wood groaned as it bent under the weight of the huge doors which now hung on crooked hinges. They swayed uselessly whenever a strong gust blew through, making a sick creaking noise as they did so.

The smell of damp and decay filled the rooms as a layer of dust settled over the place, making it looked abandoned, lonely, a haunted house sitting among broken trees.

Through the dirt-encrusted window panes of the central room of the upper part of the castle could be seen a lone figure moving restlessly. It jerked about, an apparition, a ghoul haunting the dismal castle; blindly seeking something that was no longer there.

The room was dark, and the inky black shadow of the specter was hardly visible against the dirty windows and the wildly flapping curtains that blew around every so often. However, if one were to look hard enough, they could see a flicker of ghostly movement beyond the opaque glass and a shiver would roll down their spine at the sight.

Inside the castle, on the topmost floor it was easily seen that all the doors were open save for the door leading to the central room, where the specter in the window resided. Going to the tarnished knob, it turns easily, giving a shriek and rattle as it jiggles about uselessly. The door is locked; the ornate woodwork's paint is flaking off and scratches and dents can be seen, carved mercilessly into the lovely wood. It is the only door that is locked in the entire castle, and there is no key.

Beyond the door, there can be heard the whisper-soft goings on of the specter that haunts that singular room, moaning in both physical and emotional pain. The room is filled with dust, more even than can be found in the rest of the castle. Everything in the room has gone un-touched for years; the dilapidated furniture is still covered in white sheets, awaiting the return of those who would enjoy their soft comfort.

The Goblin King, ruler of the castle and the surrounding forest, is standing in a dark corner of the room, watching out of the dirty window with a dismal frown. His eyes followed the path of the young woman and her friend, a burning form of jealousy settled in his heart while the sadness and his curse ate away at him.

He had planned on luring the girl here and keeping her until his curse was undone, but how foolish of him! He had totally lost sight of his goal in but a matter of a week, following the girl's every step while she resided there. This was his punishment, the work of his curse was it not?

He sighed to himself, closing his eyes and leaning back against the wall for a moment thoughtfully. They were still in the forest, he could go after them, but what would be gained in the end? Forcing her to come back would only make her despise him more. And who was to say she didn't already? This wretched curse kept him from doing so many things, caused him so much pain, and now the loss of this girl…

"Live as a monster for a thousand years," he mused to himself as he stood and walked to a pedestal in a corner of the room that was covered with one of the white sheets. A cloud of dust went up as Krayon grabbed it roughly and tossed it aside, revealing a gold hourglass beneath.

It shone radiantly, the most beautiful thing in the entire castle hidden beneath a crummy white sheet in a dark room where its splendor went to such waste.

Krayon looked at it with hate-filled eyes, looking about ready to strike it and send it to the harsh floor below where it would surely dash into a million pieces. He held back though, contenting himself with the thought of such a deed as he looked at how little sand was left in the hourglass. A painful throb eased in his chest, where his heart should have been, but Krayon did not bother to squeeze a hand over the pained area. Instead he winced and narrowed his eyes at the hourglass again before covering it over with a sheet once more.

Making a sour face, he turned aside from the hourglass, his cloak flapping behind him.

* * *

Erutis glowered at Chris as they finally came back to the path that led to out of the forest. Unfortunately, Chris had no map and thus did not know which way they should take to get back to the village.

She was inwardly worried, thinking that soon the Goblin King would notice their absence – or rather hers, really – and come flying from the castle in a rage. She had her hand on her sword, fingering the hilt thoughtfully as her gaze shifted back and forth, trying to catch some glimpse of an attacker. Then again, she had never been able to sense the Goblin King until he was practically on top of her when she was in the castle, so who was to say that out on the battlefield she would do any better? She was confident in her abilities as a swordsman, but with that confidence came knowledge of when she was out-matched. Just seeing the Goblin King fight with Chris had been enough for her to be sure; she was a good fighter, but not good enough to defeat the Goblin King if he decided to attack.

"Look, let's just go this way," she grumped and started to trudge down the dirt road. She wanted to run, but the thick fog that hung in the forest did not allow her to see more than possibly five feet in front of her, running could be dangerous.

Chris followed, grumbling to himself that he was going to say the same thing if a certain androgynous swordsman hadn't butted in. Erutis shot him a dark look, but didn't bother to beat him over the head for the comment, she was far too distracted and agitated to waste time smacking Chris around.

"So, what happened between you and the Goblin King?" Chris finally broke the eerie silence that shrouded them.

Erutis' eyes darted in his direction for a moment before she went back to staring ahead angrily. "Nothing, Chris," she replied firmly.

"Yeah right, you two were in that stupid castle for a few weeks before I came," he grunted angrily, frustrated with her for not telling him what was going on. "It's not like he just left you all alone in there the whole time. He must have done something."

"You're right, he didn't leave me alone, and he _did _do something," Erutis was mainly talking to herself, but with Chris walking alongside of her, it was hard for him _not _to hear her words as well. Memories replayed over in her mind again and again, seeming almost melancholy and distant.

Chris watched her, unsure, his friend was acting strangely. Ever since he had come to fight the Goblin King – and rescue her, of course – she had been acting very different. Almost like she was a- Chris put the thought aside. No, Erutis couldn't possibly have changed that much in so short a time. It was just a small difference, she was more pensive and less likely to strike him for his rude comment's now and it made him wonder what was on her mind.

Erutis blinked and frowned, her brows stitching together in annoyance. "Look, nothing bad happened. I'm not even sure why the louse kept me around without killing me or doing anything to me, alright?" she barked at him.

Chris made a face, but once again dropped the subject. He wanted to know more, but he had a mind not to push Erutis too far. He didn't wanna fight with her while they were trying to escape from the Goblin King. Maybe when they got back tot he village she would say something, though he doubted it.

Krayon looked out of the window longingly, his eyes tracing over the tops of the barren tree limbs that clutched at the shroud of fog, blocking his vision of the tiny village that lay but a few miles away.

They were almost through, just another mile or so and they would be beyond his reach. If he left now, he could easily catch up to them, but in the end it was still useless. His curse would not be undone if the girl hated him.

"This is a very bad predicament," he mumbled to himself as he laid his chin in his hand and leaned against the window. He was determined to watch over her until she left his forest.

A thought occurred to him then that maybe he had been wrong, maybe he had got the wrong girl and she was not the one to break his curse after all! A faint glimmer of hope sparked, only to be snuffed out once more by the reality of his situation.

Given the time he had left according to the hourglass, it wouldn't matter if she were or not. For even if the real girl to cure his curse were to show up right this second he knew he would not have enough time to make her fall in love with him. It was a useless, wasted effort. Even the short period of time he had had with Erutis was probably not enough to make her even think of him fondly. She hated him; he could see it in her fiery eyes. So, all hope was lost and there was nothing left to do but sit and wait for his last breath.

He smirked to himself despairingly, giving a brief snort of derision at his current state. "To die shall be an awfully big adventure," he said.

* * *

Krayon's last line taken from the book "Peter Pan." Wonderful story, I suggest you read it or see the play. Even the Disney movie doesn't do it justice. **Peter Pan fangirl **

I think this story has switched from_ Labyrinth_-based to _Beauty and the Beast_-based. **blink blink **

I would like to thank all of my reviews, as always andalso I would like to thank Kei the Incarnadine Goddess for placing all of my EruKra _Demon Diary_ stories on her c2 Community, 'UnFancy Love.' I feel so special...

Speaking of stories- due to a change in rules here at I have taken down all of my songfics (those that were not deleted) and would like to inform everyone that if they still wish to see my songfics, or my future songfics, they can visit my account which is accessible through a link on my profile. Thank you.

Thanks again minna-san! This story shall only have two more chappies, so enjoy! Heehee.

Review Please?


	10. Chapter Ten

_**Curse of the Goblin King **_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Ten_

The village was bustling with activity as they approached. It was nearly sundown and all of the shopkeepers were busily trying to gather together their wares and close up shop for the night. Their wives were walking hurriedly in and out of the houses, preparing dinner and calling in their rambunctious children. One large woman took a hefty swipe at a scrawny dog that yapped at her angrily before dashing off with a pitiful whine.

There was a wan light spilling out on the dirt road from the local tavern, roars from the drunken slobs inside could be heard discernibly from their standpoint at the edge of the village. Erutis made a face; it was a tad early to be drunk already, wasn't it?

Children played in the dust, their scruffy mutts wagging their tails and snarling at their owners' games. They were covered in dust and dirt, their pants legs were ripped in places where they had landed awkwardly or simply worn them through.

Everyone looked up at the travelers coming down the path that led to the forest. It was very rare to see anyone walking from that direction and so a hush fell over them, almost as if they expected the Goblin King himself to be striding right out toward them with one of his horrible minions.

They were puzzled, though, when instead they caught sight of Chris and Erutis. Neither were smiling or waving cheerfully, but the small crowd in the streets flocked toward them in puzzlement.

"Chris? Is that you? Dear boy, you look like you've seen a ghost!" One man said, coming close enough to slap a friendly arm around Chris' shoulders.

"Oh, Erutis, dear me you look frightfully dirty."

The praise and comments continued on, but soon the questions started to pour in. Had she really been in that ghastly old castle? Had they defeated the Goblin King? Oh my, did he hurt you, my dear? Did he take advantage of you? You are lucky to have your lives, come have some warm soup! Was the Goblin King as frightful as the stories that were told about him? Had they been able to save anyone else?

On and on until Erutis thought she might burst from the idiocy of the people around her. She was grateful for their hospitality, but she was so confused that their incessant chatter was beginning to annoy her. She answered every single question with a smile though, making sure to appear fine in every way. She could tell that Chris was doing the same.

* * *

When the villagers finally sent them both off to their homes, both of them were thoroughly relieved. It was well past dark now but they could still see the way with the help of the moonlight. 

Chris lived in the temple with the other clerics, so he continued on down the road to the large structure like Erutis turned off a different way to her small one-room shack that she called home.

"See you tomorrow, Chris," Erutis said flatly, wondering what else she could possibly say. It felt so strange walking these streets again.

Chris nodded, still worried for Erutis but deciding whether to say anything or not. He was feeling strange himself, after being in that forest and in that castle, coming back to reality like this was like…He wondered if it had all been just a dream.

Continuing on toward the temple, he fiddled with his clerical staff thoughtfully. If only…If only he had been able to kill the Goblin King! Then- then he would be the greatest of them all! His name would be known far and wide as Chris the Conqueror and all would flock to him in droves just to hear him talk. He clenched his fist angrily, if only…

* * *

Erutis managed to pull herself to the door of her home and carefully unlatched it. Pushing the door wide, she watched as moonlight spilled into the dirty room and revealed its dust-laden contents. 

There was a bed; its sheets were tossed about from when she had gotten up late that day which seemed so far away now. The pillow was rumpled and there was still a visible depression where her hand had shoved into it.

Where the headrest of the bed should have been, there was instead a make-shift bookshelf laden with books that had not been touched in years or were falling apart at the seams. A rusty oil lamp sat on top of the bookshelf, the yellow oil inside swished about when Erutis placed her hand on the splintered wood.

Other pieces of furniture were spread across the room, but it still felt so empty to her. So small and cramped…

Erutis wrinkled her nose at her thoughts and stomped into her home, shutting the door firmly behind her. That nice castle had spoiled her! There was nothing else that could possibly explain her melancholy thoughts except that living in such a nice castle for so long had made her uppity. "I am just fine this way, I don't need a stupid castle or a floppy-haired Goblin King to make me happy," she grumbled to herself between her teeth as she dressed for bed.

It would be a long day tomorrow; she must find some manner of employment, maybe even pick up an apprentice or two.

* * *

Krayon watched the sun go down from the window in the locked room he had not left for hours now. The last light lit up his face in an eerie fashion, anyone entering the room and seeing him sitting there might have thought he were truly a ghost. His shiny eyes traveled slowly from the edge of the forest to the hourglass concealed beneath the gray-white sheet in the corner. He watched it languidly with disenchanted eyes. 

His lips parted as he stood up in one smooth motion and slowly walked over to the hourglass. His hand touched the fabric of the white sheet, but he did not grasp it and pull it away. Instead, he shook his head and turned aside, walking back to the window to stare back out into infinity again.

This was pathetic. To think that a powerful Demon Lord like himself should be put under such a horrible curse by some lovesick human woman and a low-class demon! It was an insult to him and his entire lineage! And yet there was nothing he could do about it. He had searched and studied when he had first been enchanted, but it was to no avail. He still sat here; the last grains of the sand pushing through slowly, each one marking one less minute he had to live like this.

"Live as a monster for a thousand years, know the pain of my heart once," he mused to himself under his breath.

* * *

Erutis tossed restlessly in her sleep, or rather, her half-sleep. She was not quite asleep, nor was she quite awake for there were no real cognitive thoughts going through her mind as she blearily tossed about. She had kicked her blanket off earlier in the night, finding that she was too hot to keep it on. Now she was struggling to get it back on, for she was too cold. As soon as she had it back on though, she found that after a moment or two, she was hot again and kicked the sheet back off roughly only to become chill once more. 

Not only was the temperature bothering her, but there also was no way for her to get comfortable on the bed. It was perfectly soft, not like the one from the castle, but good enough. Every time she rolled over, she found that the position made her hip hurt, or left her arm in a funny position that might result in injury if she were to fall asleep like that. Flustered, she tossed and turned, kicked and pulled, but there was nothing she could do to get to sleep.

She was wracked by a half-dream as she tossed about. One that made her see apparitions in the room, or bring forth memories suddenly that made her fidget even more. There were even images flashing by that she did not recognize as being from her memory. She recognized the castle, but it was filthy, no longer the beautiful place she had known, but a wreck of glass and pottery shards strewn across the broken marble smeared with filth. What was this? A glimpse of the future?

A pale face shown before her, wracked with pain like she was, but far worse. His hair lay limply around him in a pool of curly gold that served as a pillow. His eyes moved beneath his eyelids that were mostly shut, meaning that he could still see somewhat, but not really. His eyes widened when their eyes met and then she was awake, sitting bolt upright in bed with cold sweat drenching her.

She swallowed, though her mouth was dry, and wondered what those weird dreams had been all about. She knew it was the Goblin King in her dream, it could be no other! But then, how had he come to be that way? And the castle! It looked as if it had been abandoned for years! But she had only been gone a day, so that made no sense! He looked just as he had when she had left him, and he had been fit and strapping then! So how was it that he had come to be that way? That sickly looking man lying there as if he were at deaths door!

A chill ran over her spine, she couldn't be certain, but she knew that there was no way it could be any mere dream. It was not a vision of the future either, she was sure, though she wasn't sure how, that he was dying. Had that been why he had wept when she had left with Chris?

She shook her head stubbornly; she had little experience with women's intuition and did not wish to meddle with it now. Who cared if he was dying! Not her! No, not at all!

Her mind was racing as she shoved her feet over the side of the bed and unlatched her door. She was stumbling, feeling very feeble since she had not slept well. Her eyes caught the shine of the moon and the stars; morning was still several hours off.

She hated him; she despised him to her very core. Strapping on her sword, she went to the stables and stroked one of the brown horses thoughtfully. Yawning, she looked at the fog-covered forest and furrowed her brow.

Coaxing the horse out of the stable, she got him to be quite by giving him a sugar cube to munch on while she mounted him and nudged him toward the path leading into the forest.

The horse was skittish, backing away from the path set before it and giving a small neigh or displeasure. Erutis gave it a hard nudge and it went on ahead, stopping at the wall of fog before them. Erutis clenched her teeth, which were chattering in the morning cold. Was she sure about this, was she going to go back despite her hate for the floppy haired man that had kept her in his castle for so long? What if it really just was a dream and she was being a fool? Chris and the villagers would never understand, even if she explained it to them.

Lowering her head to stare at the dirt road, she gave the horse a harsh nudge, sending him into a rapid gallop before she could change her mind. Leaning low over his shoulder, she clenched her fists tightly in his billowing mane to keep herself steady.

_'I am a fool,' _she told herself harshly.

The horse's hooves kicked up dirt and sent it flying as it disappeared into the mists. Only the breaking of bracken and the thud of the horse's heavy hooves could be heard echoing behind her.

* * *

The next chapter shall be the last. It is already written and I'm just adding a few touches here and there, it shall hopefully be added before I go to Ikasucon on Saturday.

Does Erutis seem OOC? I wanted to keep her as IC as possible during this part, and its kind of hard considering her nature…Hehe, Gomen nasai minna-san, I stress over characterization far too much.

Thanks to those of you who have followed this fic so far! I would especially like to thank Kei-san for writing so many inspiring EK fanfics and for having my stories in her EK c2 community; and Skittlez-chan for also being a great inspiration and for helping me whenever I was having writer's block. Heehee, thanks once again, I truly appreciate everyone reading and reviewing this fiction.

See you in the last chapter!

Review Please?


	11. Chapter Eleven

_**Curse of the Goblin King**_

By: OtakuSailorV

_Chapter Eleven_

It was stupid, futile, even childish of her to think that even if he was in trouble that there was anything she could do. She was only human after all and he was…she wasn't sure if he was human or not. He didn't look like a demon, but something told her that she should not be deceived by his looks.

Besides, what debt did she owe him; for what reason was she riding through the dense forest? The mists clung on to her as she breezed through, melting into her clothing and pooling into cold water droplets on her face and hair that drenched her to the bone. She was shaking, never had she ridden so fast before, and never had she been so chilled as this. Her teeth rattled and she clamped them together to keep them from distracting her from directing the horse, for they were moving so fast that low-hanging branches would dismember or decapitate them with ease.

Pressing herself close to the horse's warm body, she watched through sleep-heavy eyes as they left the path and dove into the thick foliage of the forest. The horse balked and neighed at a large bushel of brambles in the way only to jump them in a single flying leap that jolted Erutis upward when they landed. Scrambling to hold on, she forced the horse still onward, even though she could tell it had slowed and there was a definite limp in its gait now.

The hiss and rattle of her steed's breathing was lost on her ears as they plunged still further into the depths of the forest. The horse could sense the power of the Goblin King in the air very well by now and seemed to want to shy away or gallop in some other direction. However, Erutis, despite her thoughts being elsewhere, would not let the horse stray from the correct path – or what she hoped was correct – or to slow or hinder her journey in any way.

By now it was tired, its muscles exhausted to the point that it would soon collapse if not given a break. The cold air that pushed in around them did little good for the horse either as it started to shiver and sway uneasily.

Suddenly its tired legs gave out and the horse stumbled forward, giving a hissing neigh it collapsed on the dirt, rolling into the brush and kicking his legs futilely. Erutis gasped and manage to escape from underneath the writhing horse before she was hurt too badly.

She was scraped and bleeding, but she was not as badly wounded as the horse was. As it rolled about in the dirt, she could see the large red gashes, the fur and skin rubbed away from the shoulder. Bits of dirt clung to the wounds, stinging and biting.

Calming down, the beast lay on its side, wheezing for breath, its eyes darting about wildly in shock. Erutis pressed her hand over her wounds for a moment before taking a closer look at the horse to see if it was hurt very badly.

Looking it over, she grimaced. The horse was crippled, or at least was for now, and she doubted that it would be back on its feet that night. Patting its sweaty neck, she mumbled a few reassuring words to the horse and stroked it calmly before turning to face the direction she hoped the castle was in.

The fall had given her quite a scare too; she could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears as she tried to steady her breathing. She was cold and wet, yet she still felt as if she should keep moving, despite the fact that it would take her another few hours on foot to reach the castle. She had already been gone too long, soon the people in the town would wake to find her disappeared again and that would not bode well for her. Chris would be furious. What's more, the stable owner would be furious with her for stealing his horse and crippling it.

She shook her head, giving herself a sad smirk. _'I am insane, I must be,' _she thought to herself as she set off walking again, eyes trained straight ahead. For only insanity could have made her do something as stupid as this, to go running back to him like she was…in love.

Again she smirked sadly, hating herself all the more as her damp hair and clothing clung to her against the chill air. This escapade would be the end of her, she knew it would. At this rate, she would catch her death, probably already had and was harboring it. She was a fool to go through the forests in this weather, they were treacherous and if it shared the heart of the Goblin King, then he was probably watching her and willing the forest to smother her alive.

That was it! He had sent that silly dream to her, was driving her on like this by his magic to her death. But his magic could not reach outside of the forest; he had said that, hadn't he? She couldn't remember; everything was so vague and blurry now. She was half-mad anyway, so why did she keep on bothering to wonder what there was that was making her drive forward like this? She was insane, or at least, that's the only reason she would believe.

* * *

He had very little time left; he could feel the power draining from him now. Every grain of sand that fell took another minute off his fading existence. He could feel time slipping away from his grasp; his powers were fleeting away from him as well, leaving him in a vulnerable near-human state. 

Quietly he waited, sensing the coming of Erutis, but doubted that she would make it in time. He supposed she was coming back to kill him now; he sighed to himself and closed his eyes. It was not like him to accept his fate so readily, but then again, what was there for him to do really but sit and wait for this to happen? Nothing he had tried thus far had worked; the curse would not lift.

He thought he might go to her, end his suffering early and see her face one last time as well. He was too weak though, his body felt too sluggishly heavy now, and his powers were no longer strong enough to transport him any distance at all. It saddened him that he would not get to see her one last time, but he understood that this was merely the workings of the curse and did not fuss.

It was only his punishment for breaking that girl's heart so long ago; her jealous anger at him had not abated in all those centuries. Still it clung to him, dragging him down slowly and painfully, making him suffer in the same way that she had and more. It was only fair…It was only fair that he should experience the pain of a broken heart.

Ever since he had first seen the girl, he had known. His heart broke upon meeting her, his soul cried out upon seeing her smile at another, never shining that grin at him. It was horrible; the pain was unbearable! Deeper and more lasting than any wound he had ever experienced before. It bit at him constantly, making him tired, lethargic. All he wanted to do was think about her, and yet thoughts of her brought such pain…

Finding the strength to pull himself up onto one of the dusty couches, he attempted to sit up, slouching in the seat and breathing heavily from his exertions.

This was certainly a way to go out, he thought to himself ruefully as he looked around the room with bleary eyes. One minute he was a great Demon Lord feared by all and playing with the emotions of the humans, the next minute he was lying here like a babe, waiting for the great sleep to take him away. All his powers had diminished, his great empire had crumbled, his heart had been stolen and broken by a mortal woman; yes, this was the ultimate downfall for one of his stature. He would not even die as a warrior, but die as a sickly cripple in this rotting castle that would surely crumble the moment he was gone.

It simply was too much, far too ironic, he chuckled to himself, feeling quite like he was out of his mind, and who was to say he wasn't? He had probably been driven mad the moment he had seen that human woman, no, his Erutis. To meet the one he knew he would love and lose was an unbearable thought, and still was. Yes, he decided at that moment that he had been driven mad with love for her. Love that would never be returned, for all she did was scorn him and turn him away. She hated him, despised him, she would never love him…never. The only joy she would ever gain from him was when she destroyed him, this he knew and though it was a deranged idea, he felt content. She would not make it in time to finish him with her own hands anyway.

He wondered, as he closed his eyes, if she would cry when she found him dead.

* * *

Erutis used the nearest tree to lean her weight against as she rested. She was on her last leg, panting from running so hard and for so long. She was in good shape, being a swordsman, but the job of a swordsman did not include running, so she easily tuckered out in this field. 

The blockade of trees, brush and mist did not help her any either. A stitch had formed in her side and it hurt to take a large breath of air. She felt it sting in her throat, down to her lungs, and finally searing into her side. She bent to try and stop the pain.

Looking on ahead, she stumbled forward, walking as fast as she could, her clothes catching on every thorn and low-hanging branch. The mist parted but for a moment and she felt a touch of relief spread through her as she saw the dark outline of the castle loom forward.

Dread tied a knot in her stomach and made the breath sting whisper with anxiety. She had finally made it! It was nearly dawn now, but she had made her. She stumbled again, toward the castle.

Forgetting the stitch in her side and her weak leg muscles, she leaped forward, hand on her sword. She was not sure what awaited her in the castle, nor why she was in such a hurry to find out, but at least she had come prepared nonetheless.

Hurrying up the stone steps, she leapt over them two at a time. Finding that the doors to the castle were open, she ran inside, stopping when she came into the main hall. She was at an intersection. Where should she go? Looking about, she panted for breath as she tried to rapidly decide which way was best to take.

Her room? Well, the room she had stayed in at least? Would he be in there? It seemed mostly likely, after all, he seemed to have a strange infatuation with her.

Taking off down the hallway, she held the sheath of her sword to keep it from banging against her legs. The hallways seemed to extend forever as she dashed past the large pillars, not at all heeding the ugly sight of the castle.

It was decrepit, she had noticed, of course, but there was no time to stand about and gawk at the terrible ruin the castle had fallen into in so short a time. Well, she thought that there was no time. She would probably burst into her room and find herself sleeping, having a fitful dream, and when she woke, she would realize that the entire castle and the Goblin King escapade was a dream. Either that or he'd be waiting for her with that smug grin of his, knowing that she would come to his aid now if he ever were in need of her.

Shoving the doors open roughly, she stepped back with a grimace when a blast of warm air washed over her, bringing with it the smell of damp decay. The room was in shambles; dust covered every inch of it.

Taking a step inside, she touched the edge of the western-style bed uncertainly, only to start with alarm as it crumbled beneath her fingertips. Staring at the pile of rubble that had once passed for a lovely bed, she turned back out of the room for fear that the roof might decide to suddenly collapse as well.

Uncertain as to where else she could possibly go, she flung herself back down the hallway, thinking that any movement at all - even if in the wrong direction – would be better than standing still and wondering what to do. She was a swordsman damn it! She was not allowed the luxury to stand about hopelessly, unlike other women her age. No, she had been trained to never waste a second, even in the most confusing and direst of situations.

So, with that thought keenly set in her mind, she dashed back down the hallway, past the doors to the castle and kept on going. She raced past the dining hall, past the balcony and the grand ballroom, but still she found nothing. She couldn't find one place where he might be. All the doors stood open on their hinges, so it was easy to look in when passing to see if anyone was inside.

After a time, she slowed her pace, finding herself unable to keep on running any longer. Slumping against one of the pillars, she tried to catch her breath and think of where to go next. She was utterly lost now that she was actually in the castle. Where could he be, if he was here at all?

Looking up, she started as she spotted a staircase climbing steeply upwards. It had not been there a moment before! In fact, she did not remember there _ever_ being a staircase in this God-forsaken castle. So where had this one come from?

It sparkled and glinted for a moment, almost winking at her as if to say: 'you know quite well.' Another of his tricks? Well, she had fallen for all of them so far, why not fall for this one too?

* * *

Was he asleep or awake? He couldn't tell anymore; he seemed to be somewhere between the two, like a half-sleep. He was awake and yet his thoughts were slow, grinding along at an alarmingly snail-paced rate. Groggily, he tried to move, but he felt like a dead weight. All he could do was sit there, his mind flickering with half-cognitive thoughts. 

Maybe this was death; his pain was ebbing away, so maybe he was finally dying. He had lost the ability to sense aura's some time ago, so he was no longer aware of where his Erutis was, but he was sure that she was nowhere near the castle.

So, he would die alone, just as he had first thought. There was no miracle wind bringing the girl to him at his last hour, or was it last minute?

The door burst open in the middle of his thoughts, and he felt a thrill of happiness run through him. He thought he felt his dry lips turn up in a sad smile as she stood panting in the doorway, looking at him with wide eyes.

What was she thinking, standing there, looking at him as if it were the first time? Was she musing on how much he had fallen in so short a time, or was she saddened that she had come too late?

Krayon spied the sword at her side and felt a calm reserve flood through. So, she truly had come to kill him then. Well, his final wish had been granted at least, he could die in peace knowing that she was in some way happy.

Coming forward, she stood by the large chair that he was sitting in, watching her through bleary half-opened eyes.

Her mouth moved, but he couldn't hear her words.

Erutis stumbled over things in both her mind and her mouth. She couldn't think of anything to say or do, for it would seem that her nightmare had come true. She hadn't thought that she would ever really find him here, much less reach the castle! Now what? She was at a loss…

He looked horrible though; his floppy hair had lost some of its color and was even floppier than usual. His skin had lost its pallor and he looked as if he were drenched in a cold sweat. He was giving her a sad smile; his eyes were only half-opened.

"What happened to you?" She felt herself saying before she could stop. What did she care if he died? He was her enemy! He had killed her men, kept her captive! He was no one she should have pity on, but her heart still ached at seeing him like this…

He did not reply; his eyes closed and the smile faded somewhat, though a quirky little grin was still in place.

She swallowed and blinked, looking around the room, trying to find some clue as to what had happened to him. She had been gone but a day and this place was already in ruins!

Her eyes fell on a single glowing golden object in the darkest, dingiest corner she had ever seen. Looking apprehensively at the Goblin King, she went over to investigate, feeling almost drawn to it.

He started in his large chair and made a groaning sound as if he were trying to catch her attention, but the object in the corner had enraptured her, snared her and pulled her in. Her thoughts centered on it, as if she had somehow always known that it was there, waiting for her and she waiting for it. She was lost to the world behind her, completely lost.

She stopped in front of it, watching it with wide eyes that shone in the light coming off of the hourglass. For she saw that that was what it was truthfully. Not some random golden object, but a large glass-and-gold hourglass, the last bits of sand trailing through slowly.

An idea suddenly struck her as she looked at it- this hourglass was the source of the Goblin King's strife! She wasn't sure where the idea had come from, but it clicked and stayed.

Her fingertips reached out to stroke the top of the first glass dome. There was a shriek of laughter that peeled out of thin air as she did so, and with that noise her mind came back from the sluggish world it had been in and snapped to attention. In a moment her hand was on her sword and it let out a hiss as it rattled against the sheath.

The hourglass split into two separate pieces cleanly, the glass shattering as it hit the floor and the sand spilling in every direction.

A scream like someone dying pierced the air and filled the room, nearly deafening Erutis and Krayon. A blast of hot air swam forth, stifling them and bursting out the windows and doors with the scream. Erutis could almost taste the crackling heat energy that went with a curse and knew then that she had been drawn to the hourglass because it had contained a sinister spirit bent on revenge. Such creatures were known to ensnare trouble humans' hearts and minds when they were simply glanced at.

There was a luminous head hovering above the sand and the now tarnished golden remains of the hourglass, glaring at Erutis as if the head meant to kill her. The voice that came forth was like a hiss as the head spoke, "Damn you! Curse you! To think that my curse was truly undone by some mortal! Pitiful, pitiful, pitiful…" With that it vanished, still muttering curses to itself as it faded away.

Erutis stared, shocked that the peculiar object had contained such a vile spirit. Had that spirit been plaguing the Goblin King since her departure?

Remembering the villain suddenly, she turned to find that he was still sitting in the chair, pale-faced and quite slack. His eyes were closed and not one of his limbs twitched. Looking at his chest expectantly, she felt her sword clatter to the ground noisily as she discovered that not even a flutter of breath seemed to be moving in him.

Feeling her heart pound, she rushed forward, feeling her own breath choke in her throat as she came to his side, a sad half-frown half-smile on her lips.

"Krayon?" She tried out his name for the first time in a trembling voice. She touched his shoulder, but there was no response. Had he died? The head had mentioned something about a curse, but this couldn't mean that-

Erutis felt a knot form in her throat, making it hard for her to breathe correctly. Warm tears filled the corners of her eyes, but they did not yet dare to spill over.

Was this curse hers? Was she the one that was cursed to come to his aid only to find him dead? No, she thought to herself in tears, i _she /i _was the one that was supposed to kill him! Not some stupid curse!

Crumpling, she placed her head on his chest, forsaking her old bull-headedness about being seen in such a wrecked state. She was fire too tired of everything to care right now whether anyone walked in and saw her. They could simply assume she was mad, and who was to say that she wasn't?

She sobbed, not entirely sure why she was, for he was her enemy, wasn't he…?

"Ah, finally warming up to me, I see," a familiar voice rumbled inside of the chest she had her head pressed against. Her heart thudded with joy and love at the sound of it, but she withheld the feelings, looking up into the glimmering eyes with a glare.

Tears were still spilling down her cheeks and she was still sniffling, so the effect was not the same. "You were awake that whole time, weren't you?" She accused bitingly.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him with a loving sigh and a warm smile. "Of course not, I nearly died back there, quick thinking on your part," he replied matter-of-factly.

Erutis, surprisingly, didn't pull away from his grasp, but she was not so silly as to give in to it either. "Then why didn't you?" She asked, teasing him in her morbid way.

Krayon pretended to be hurt by her words. "My dear Erutis, fate does not bind us all."

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**HAPPILY EVER AFTER**

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Wow, I never thought that I would actually get so far as to finish this fiction. Didn't exactly expect it to raise quite so much commotion as well. I have really enjoyed writing this fic, and I'm kind of sad that I won't get to write for it anymore. Of course, I have another multi-chap EruKra fiction in the works, but that probably won't be posted for a while since I have so many other things already to finish up.

Since I couldn't figure out a way to incorporate a way as to explaining the appearance of the castle at the end of this fic, I'll just go ahead and explain it here. The castle was always torn down and ruddy looking, it was simply Krayon's magic that kept it looking more splendid to the eyes of Chris and Erutis. Krayon also was always weaker than he appeared to Erutis and Chris. Again, he used his magic to sustain the illusion that there was nothing wrong. The castle and Krayon were supposed to be connected somehow in this story, y'know, like symbolism. So when Erutis left, the illusion faded and we see that it was just Krayon's little bit of magic he had left. Hmm, I hope that explains everything pretty well.

Well, now that everything else is out of the way, I would like to thank everyone. Thanks very much for reading this fic, reviewing, sending in questions or comments, helpful tips and most of all: putting up with my extreme laziness. I really do appreciate everyone's support and I hope you will all spread the EruKra love. Heehee.

Thanks again minna-san and goodbye for now! Ja'ne!

OtakuSailorV

Review Please?


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